Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on January 19 that the 7th Armored Brigade had raided a training compound of the Hamas Movement in the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israeli troops located and destroyed replicas of Israeli main battle tanks and armored vehicles used for training during the raid, the IDF said, adding that the compound was used as a training site, as well as a meeting point for senior Hamas commanders of its Khan Younis Brigade.
In addition to the replicas, troops found several tunnel shafts, dozens of rocket launchers and other weapons, according to the IDF.
Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
Separately, the IDF and Shin Bet security agency announced that the deputy head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s “propaganda unit” was killed in an airstrike a day earlier.
Wael Abu Fanounah was responsible for publishing the group’s videos, including those of rocket fire at Israel, and creating videos of Israeli hostages, the IDF and the Shin Bet said.
They added that Abu Fanounah previously held other senior positions in Islamic Jihad, including being the assistant to Khalil Bahtini, the group’s commander in northern Gaza.
Meanwhile, in central Gaza, the IDF said that reservists from the 179th Brigade located a cache of weapons in a building after rocket-propelled grenades were fired at troops from the area.
And in northern Gaza, reservists from the 5th Brigade battled and killed several Hamas fighters during several engagements, including using tank shelling and calling in airstrikes, according to the IDF.
It’s worth noting that the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said in its latest statement that 24,762 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Strip, so far. At least 70% of all fatalities were reported women and children.
The toll includes 142 fatalities over the past 24 hours, the ministry’s statement said, adding that 62,108 people have been wounded since the war first broke out.
The IDF’s recent operations in Gaza indicate that the Israeli leadership is determined to go on with the war. A ceasefire seems unlikely, at least for the time being.
