Israeli airstrikes struck targets in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon over the weekend, with the Israel Defense Forces reporting that the terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah continued to conduct terror activity despite ongoing ceasefires.
In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military first struck three terrorists trying to plant explosive devices near IDF positions in the Netzarim Corridor.
Later on Saturday, the IDF said it identified two terrorists “operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops in the area of Beit Lahiya… Later, a number of additional terrorists collected the drone operating equipment and entered a vehicle.”
The IDF first targeted the terrorists before striking their vehicle. Palestinian sources reported that the strikes killed nine people, including three journalists, and that the car belonged to the non-profit Al-Khair Foundation.
According to previous IDF information, this UK- and Turkey-based NGO has transferred funds to terror groups in Gaza “under the guise of humanitarian activity” and employed at least one senior Hamas official.
Army Radio’s military correspondent Doron Kadosh noted that attempts to plant explosives near IDF positions have “become a daily occurrence, sometimes several times a day. The IDF is trying to locate Hamas cells in the Gaza Strip that are planting IEDs and thwart them.”
Despite Israeli efforts, Kadosh said, “It is estimated that the attacks are only damaging a small part of Hamas's attempts to reorganize. There are dozens and hundreds of cells in the field, preparing for the IDF's renewed fighting, and preparing the area for the entry of the IDF's maneuvering divisions.”
“The explosive device sites were the most significant threat to the ground forces, and many fighters were killed and injured in such incidents,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force on Saturday also struck a Hezbollah operative during “terrorist activity” near Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon. According to Lebanese reports, two people were killed in the strike when their vehicle was hit.
On Friday, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that ongoing talks with Lebanon would not include a retreat from the five points in Lebanese territory that the Israeli military continues to hold.
“The IDF will remain at the five points that control the security strip in Lebanon indefinitely, for the sake of protecting the residents of the north and regardless of any negotiations on disputed points on the border,” Katz said during an assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir.
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