Click to see full-size image. (Israeli Defense Forces).
A soldier of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was killed in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on May 19, the first since the military launched a large-scale offensive, codenamed Operation Gideon’s Chariots to completely take control of the Palestinian enclave.
The soldier was reportedly serving in the ranks of the IDF’s Combat Engineering Corps’ 601st Battalion. In a brief statement, the military said it was still investigating the cause of the soldiers death, including the possibility of so-called friendly fire.
Earlier, the IDF said that it had struck “160 terror targets” in Gaza over the past day. The Strip’s Hamas-linked civil defense agency announced that at least 91 people were killed.
Also on May 19, the IDF ordered the completely evacuation of the city of Khan Younis in the southern part of the Strip. This led to mass protests against both Israel and Hamas in the city.
Faced with unpresented international pressure over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israel announced that it would let limited aid into the Strip and said the first five trucks entered on May 19 carrying supplies “including food for babies.”
However, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that “none of the aid has been picked up” at a designated zone as it was “already dark” and due to “security concerns, we cannot operate in those conditions.”
Despite allowing some aid to enter Gaza, Israel didn’t change its military plans. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video posted on Telegram on May 19, said that “the fighting is intense and we are making progress.”
“We will take control of all the territory of the Strip,” he added.
On May 20, the IDF announced that the162nd Division had returned to operating in Gaza, confirming that the offensive was still ongoing.
The division is currently fighting in the Strip’s north, with the 401st Armored Brigade and Givati Infantry Brigade, according to the military, which said that its 215th Artillery Regiment struck over 30 sites in the area, including weapon depots, booby-trapped buildings, and observation posts.
The IDF launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots last week. Israeli officials stated that the large-scale offensive would see the military “conquer” Gaza and retain the territory, attack Hamas, prevent the group from taking control of humanitarian aid supplies, and move Palestinians from the Strip’s north to its south.
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