Israel in Gaza Progress Report

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"Southern Command stations, commander is speaking."

"We are launching an attack on Hamas and the terror groups in the Gaza Strip."

"Our goal is one: victory. No matter  how long the fighting takes, how difficult, there is no other result but victory."

Maj.Gen. Yaron Finkelman, head, IDF Southern Command

Over 300 Hamas targets were struck in the past 24 hours by the Israel Defense Forces. "Numerous" terrorists were killed, including a senior commander, Nasim Abu Ajina who was commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion of Hamas's Northern Brigade. He was killed in an airstrike on Monday.

 

Abu Ajina directed the October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians in both Kibbutz Erez and Netiv Ha'asara. "His elimination significantly harms the efforts of the Hamas terrorist organization to disrupt the IDF's ground activities", stated the Israeli military.

 

As well as providing real time direction for IAF airstrikes on Hamas forces and infrastructure, Israeli ground forces engaged and destroyed terrorist cells, conducting "fierce battles" against Hamas "deep in the Gaza Strip" in recent hours, announced the IDF on Tuesday. 

Rocket fire from Gaza continued irrespective of the presence of IDF ground forces in Gaza, triggering sirens in Israeli border communities overnight Monday multiple times and on Tuesday morning. Central Israel saw rocket barrages fired at them on Tuesday afternoon. 

IDF fighter jets struck multiple Hezbollah targets on the northern frontier in Lebanon Monday overnight, engaging with terrorist groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank since Israel's declaration of total war on Hamas as a consequence of the savage terror attack on October 7 in the western Negev with its death toll of 1,400 Israelis, where over 5,000 others were wounded and over 200 taken as hostages into Gaza.

U.S. forces stationed in Iraq and Syria have been attacked by Iranian terror proxies, with 24 drone and rocket attacks occurring in recent days. Voice of America reported three attacks on Monday alone, citing US. defence officials.  At a base near al-Shaddadi in northeastern Syria, U.S. forces were attacked Sunday with no fatalities reported, but dozens reportedly injured.

"We know that these are Iranian-backed militia groups that are supported by Iran and, of course, we hold Iran responsible for these groups", stated Pentagon press secretary Brig.Gen. Pat Ryder, last week.

Three Israeli citizens, residents of Sakhnin and Arraba in the Galilee, affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist group, were arrested in a joint Israel Security Agency and Israel Police operation, suspected of preparing to carry out terror-related activities while the war in Gaza is ongoing.

Image: Planet Labs