The Israel Defenses Forces conducted an hours-long overnight raid late Wednesday into the northern Gaza Strip in order to degrade Hamas military infrastructure ahead of an expected full-scale ground incursion.
“In preparation for the next stages of combat, the IDF operated in northern Gaza. IDF tanks & infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts,” the IDF wrote in an official statement following the incursion. “The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory.”
The limited raid marks the most significant ground incursion into Gaza since the Hamas attack of October 7.
Video released alongside the note showed Israeli tanks and airstrikes firing rounds and destroying a building in what an IDF spokesman explained was “part of our preparations for the next stages of the war.”
“The activity was commanded by the Givati Brigade. During the activity, soldiers located and struck numerous terrorists, terror infrastructure, and anti-tank missile launch posts, and operated to prepare the battlefield,” an official military statement explained.
In preparation for the next stages of combat, the IDF operated in northern Gaza.
IDF tanks & infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts.
The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory. pic.twitter.com/oMdSDR84rU
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 26, 2023
The IDF reportedly agreed Wednesday to delay its ground incursion into Gaza until after the U.S. could set up missile-defense systems to protest American forces in the region.
Israel has intensified its bombardment of Gaza in recent days. The Israeli Air Force reportedly conducted 250 sorties on Wednesday with the aim of destroying tunnels constructed by the Palestinian terrorist group as well as other military infrastructure, including weapons caches and rocket launchers.
“I see smoke and we hear noises all night long, every minute another one,” one Gazan who fled south following Israel’s evacuation order told the British outlet, Thursday. “It’s not just air strikes, it’s tanks shelling all night long and from the sea as well. Every night is worse than the night before.”
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and terrorists slain, claims that over 700 people were killed during this period.
The IDF also struck Khan Yunis, a coastal enclave in southern Gaza, citing Hamas establishing rocket launch sites beside a kindergarten and a mosque. “Hamas continues to position the residents of the Gaza Strip as a human shield and prevents passage to the south of the Strip,” the IDF said.
The latest raid also coincided with the Israeli military confirming the death of Hassan Al-Abdullah, the commander of a Hamas rocket team, by a targeted air strike.