Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on January 10 that it had struck more than 150 targets of the Hamas Movement in the city of Khan Younis and other areas in the southern Gaza Strip over the past day.
In the Maghazi refugee camp, the IDF said that troops from the Golani Brigade directed airstrikes on many Hamas fighters, and uncovered 15 tunnel shafts. The troops also found rocket launchers, rockets, drones and explosives during a raid on a Hamas site in the camp.
Meanwhile, in Khan Younis, the 98th Division directed airstrikes on more than ten Hamas fighters in their area of operations, according to the IDF, which said that dozens of other fighters were killed in clashes with the division.
The IDF also said that reservists from the Kiryati Brigade identified a Hamas fighter planting an explosive device near a road used by troops. The soldiers called in an airstrike, killing the fighter on the spot.
While the IDF maintains that its operations in Gaza are only aimed against Hamas and other Palestinians armed factions, the death toll in the Strip continues to rise with the majority of the casualties reported to be civilians.
The number of people killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the outbreak of the war has surpassed 23,210, the Hamas-run health ministry said in its latest update. At least 59,167 others had been wounded.
The ministry said that Israeli forces committed 12 massacres against Palestinian families across the enclave between January 8 and 9, leaving 126 Palestinians killed and 241 others injured. It noted that a number of victims were still under the rubble and on the streets, as the ambulances were unable to reach them due to relentless Israeli air and ground attacks.
In recent weeks, the IDF expanded its ground operations in central and southern Gaza after withdrawing most of its troops from the northern part of the Strip.
Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas are reportedly ongoing through Egypt and Qatar. However, an agreement on a ceasefire may be still far.
