According to the military, more than 100 terrorists have been killed by IDF units under the Southern Command over the past week.
By JNS
The Israeli Air Force struck some 130 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, including terrorist command and control centers, weapons storage sites and launchers, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday morning.
Simultaneously, Israeli ground forces carried out raids on terrorist sites in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza, locating weapons.
In Rafah’s Jeninah neighborhood, troops discovered tunnel shafts and dismantled terrorist infrastructure, the military said.
In northern Gaza, Israeli soldiers struck military compounds and killed terrorists in the Gaza City area, the IDF said. Troops also dismantled terrorist infrastructure and observation equipment in the area.
Meanwhile, IDF troops continued operations to locate and dismantle terrorist infrastructure above and below ground.
Over the past day, soldiers uncovered and destroyed a weapons storage facility containing explosive canisters linked to terrorist groups and struck military compounds.
At the same time, Israeli forces killed terrorists in the Jabalia area and on the outskirts of Daraj Tuffah in Gaza City.
In recent days, Nahal Brigade troops under the 162nd Division have been conducting operations in the Daraj Tuffah area.
With support from the IAF, they struck an enemy observation post and dismantled terrorist infrastructure, including explosives and weapons stockpiles, killing several Hamas terrorists.
According to the military, more than 100 terrorists have been killed by IDF units under the Southern Command over the past week.
Among those killed were Hakham Issa, head of combat support staff in Hamas’s “military” wing; Mohammed al-Sheikh, a commander in the Khan Yunis Brigade’s Operations Department, Issa Abbas, a company commander in the Zeitoun Battalion, and Mohammed Jarasha, a company commander in the Sabra Battalion.
On Sunday, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced the targeted killing of Ramzi Ramadan Abd Ali Saleh, commander of Hamas’s Naval Force in the northern Gaza Strip.
According to the statement, Saleh was a key figure in the organization and had recently been involved in planning maritime attacks against Israeli troops. He was killed in Gaza City while operating in a building with other terrorists.
In the same operation, Hisham Ayman Atiya Mansour, deputy commander of Hamas’s mortar array, and Nissim Muhammad Suleiman Abu Sabha, another member of that unit, were also killed.
The military announced earlier on Sunday that it had eliminated part of the terrorist cell that killed IDF Sgt. Asaf Zamir, 19, and wounded four additional troops in the Khan Yunis area of Gaza’s south on Friday.
“Shortly after the incident, the IAF struck and eliminated part of the terrorist cell,” it revealed, adding, “The IDF expresses its heartfelt condolences to the family and will continue to support them.”
Since the resumption of ground operations following the expiration of a ceasefire on March 18, the IAF has struck more than 7,500 terrorist infrastructure sites in Gaza.
The IDF says it has operational control over approximately 65% of the territory.
On Thursday night, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Efie Defrin said that the military was nearing completion of its objectives for the current phase of the war and will soon present its proposed next steps to the political leadership.
“Since the beginning of ‘Operation Gideon’s Chariots,’ we have severed Hamas’s control over wide areas of the Gaza Strip and undermined its governance. We are systematically and thoroughly dismantling the terrorist infrastructure, while maintaining a firm and stable hold on the ground,” said Defrin.
“We are achieving long-term strategic gains and preventing Hamas from rebuilding its centers of power,” he added.
