Click to see full-size image. Source: the Israeli Defense Forces.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on November 2 that troops clashed with the Hamas Movement in the northern Gaza Strip overnight.
In a statement, the IDF said that troops from the 1st “Golani” Brigade led “prolonged battles” against Hamas fighters who had fired missiles, set off explosive devices and hurled grenades at the forces.
Golani troops fought back, assisted by artillery and tank shelling and while calling in an airstrike and missile strikes by the Navy, the IDF added.
“At the end of the fighting, dozens of terrorists were killed,” the IDF said.
The IDF said that troops from The 933rd “Nahal” Brigade also encountered a group of Hamas fighters and directed airstrikes against them. Reservist forces, meanwhile, directed an airstrike against an anti-tank squad, with navy support, according to the IDF.
In addition, the IDF reported more strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, including weapons manufacturing and storage facilities, anti-tank missile launching positions and drone launching positions. Video footage showing a few of the recent strikes were released.
It’s worth noting that the IDF announced a day earlier the commander of Hamas’s anti-tank guided missile array, Muhammad A’sar, was killed in a strike on Gaza.
Separately, the IDF acknowledged that a commander in the 7007th Battalion of the Etzioni Brigade was killed by Hamas fighters during clashes in Gaza. The new casualty brought up the number of Israeli troops killed in the Strip since the start of the ground operation on October 27 to 17.
The IDF has been advancing along al-Rasheed Street on the coast of Gaza, near the city of Beit Lahia in the northeastern part of the Strip and in Wadi Gaza, right to the south of Gaza City.
From its side, Hamas’ military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, announced on November 1 that its fighters had targeted a main battle tank, two armored bulldozers and two other military vehicles with rocket-propelled grenades near the coast of Gaza. Another tank and a gathering of troops were targeted in Wadi Gaza.
Recently released videos by Hamas showed attacks with rocket-propelled grenades and explosives against several tanks and armored personnel carriers, an attack with an armed drone against a gathering of troops and a mortar attack against a gathering of armored vehicles.
Despite recent losses, the Israeli leadership appears to be determined to go on with the ground operation in Gaza. The current objective of the IDF is to besiege then occupy the northern part of Gaza, including Gaza City. Later, Israeli troops could attack the southern part, pushing more than two million Palestinians towards the sealed border with Egypt.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC:
