The Israeli Air Force struck hundreds of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza in recent hours, including tunnels with terrorists in them, while infantry and armored corps conducted raids on the ground in the enclave in preparation for a wider ground offensive, the Israeli military stated on Monday.
Dozens of operational command centers housing Hamas and PIJ operatives were also hit, according to Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
Strikes were also conducted on targets that posed a threat to forces in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip, including dozens of mortar and anti-tank missile launch sites, according to Hagari.
The raids into Gaza are being conducted by armored and infantry units against terror cells that were “preparing for our next stage,” while also seeking out information for hostages and the missing, Hagari said on Monday.
On Sunday, during a visit to the IAF’s Operations Command and Control Center, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “In terms of the operational aspects of maneuvering—at the end of the day, nothing will stop the IDF. It is a combination of two things: Our aerial capabilities and ground maneuvering. This should be our last maneuvering operation in Gaza, for the simple reason that afterwards there will be no more Hamas.”
Gallant added that “It may take a month, two or three, but at the end there will be no more Hamas. Prior to meeting our armed forces on the ground, the enemy [Hamas terrorists], will be faced with IAF strikes.”
On Sunday, one Israeli soldier was killed and three injured in an anti-tank missile attack on a tank and engineering vehicle during a raid in the Kissufim area.
The activity was part of the military’s effort to dismantle terror infrastructure, clear the area of terrorists and weapons and locate missing persons, and bodies, according to the IDF. The army later identified the fallen soldier as Cpl. Tamir Barak, 19, of the Armored Engineering Corps unit.
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