Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Heavy fighting continues across the Gaza Strip as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) face fierce resistance from the Hamas Movement and other Palestinian armed factions.
On December 23, the IDF said that troops of the Yiftah Reserve Brigade carried out an ambush against Hamas in southern Gaza, leading to dozens of fighters being killed. The troops opened fire in a deceptive manner to cause dozens of fighters to flee into a building used as a command center. The building was then struck by a fighter jet, according to the IDF.
Also in the southern Gaza City area, the IDF said that Yiftah Brigade snipers killed several Hamas fighters who were preparing to attack troops. Other buildings identified by the brigade as being used by Hamas in the area were struck by the Air Force.
In an unspecified area of Gaza City, troops of the 14th Reserve Armored Brigade identified a group of Hamas fighters and called in an airstrike, according to the IDF.
Meanwhile in the nearby Shati refugee camp area, the IDF said that the 14th Brigade identified a further three Hamas fighters who had opened fire at them. The brigade called in an airstrike to kill the three operatives.
In central Gaza, the 179th Reserve Armored Brigade found a cache of weapons in a children’s daycare center, including mortars, RPGs and other explosives, the IDF alleged.
A day earlier, the IDF announced that it had uncovered and destroyed a large tunnel network of Hamas under the northern part of Gaza city.
From its side, Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, released two videos showing its fighters ambushing Israeli troops in the city of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza as well as in the town of al-Mughraqa in the central part of the Strip.
The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also released video footage showing recent attacks by its snipers against Israeli troops in the Shejaiya neighborhood in northern Gaza.
The IDF occupies most of northern and central Gaza as well as a large area in the south. However, as evidenced by recent clashes, Israeli troops do not have complete control of any area. Fighters from Hamas and other factions are still launching attacks deep in Israeli-occupied areas. This raises some serious questions about the success of Israeli ground operations in the Strip.
