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A senior official of the Palestinian Hamas Movement said on October 28 that the Israeli large ground operation in the Gaza Strip which began a day earlier was foiled.
According to the official, Ali Baraka, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked from three axis, but failed to advance and suffered “heavy losses” in manpower and equipment.
“The enemy fell into ambushes prepared by the Palestinian resistance on a number of fronts, and since the beginning of the battle there have been defensive plans against any attempt,” Barak, who is based in Lebanon, said.
Russian-made Kornet anti-tank guided missiles and Yassin rocket-propelled grenades manufactured locally in Gaza were used to repel the attack, Baraka said, adding that Hamas expects the IDF to make another advance attempt.
“The Israeli occupation used helicopters to evacuate the wounded and dead from the battlefield,” the Hamas official said.
Earlier in the morning, the IDF announced that its infantry, combat engineering forces and tanks were still operating in Gaza. Video footage released by the IDF showed dozens of vehicles advancing towards the Strip and heavy strikes on alleged Hamas targets there.
IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari later said that troops were “advancing through the stages of the war” in Gaza, with ground forces carrying out operations in the Strip.
“Infantry, armored, engineering and artillery forces participating in the activity, accompanied by heavy [air] fire,” he told reporters, noting that “the forces are still on the ground and continue the fighting.”
Contradicting Palestinian media reports, the spokesman said that no soldiers have been hurt in the expanded ground operation in Gaza so far.
In addition, the IDF said that it had killed the commander of Hamas’s naval forces of the Gaza City Brigade, Rateb Abu Sahiban, in an overnight airstrike. According to the IDF, Abu Sahiban planned and commanded a Hamas infiltration attempt via the sea earlier this week.
The IDF ground operation and heavy bombardment didn’t prevent Hamas from launching more rockets. The military wing of the movement, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, announced a rocket attack on Zikik base to the north of Gaza. Rocket sirens were also heard at several Israeli settlements near the Strip in the morning, including Magan, Nir Oz and Nahal Oz. However, no casualties were reported.
The ongoing ground operation in Gaza appears to be the first phase of a large-scale offensive that could go on for weeks or even months.
The slow Israeli start may be intentional in order to pressure Hamas into releasing more than 200 hostages captured by its fighters in its surprise attack on October 7. Qatar is reportedly mediating talks to secure the release of the hostages and broker a temporary ceasefire.
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