From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Air force hitting southern Gaza to prepare for expanded ground push, army says
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israeli Air Force struck more than 100 Hamas targets in the southern Gaza Strip overnight, in preparation for expanded ground operations in the area, the military says, even as the army continues to face resistance amid mop-up operations in the north of the Strip.
According to the IDF, the targets included tunnel shafts, military sites, and other infrastructure used by terror operatives to target Israeli forces.
During strikes in the Khan Younis area, where troops have largely conenctrated fighting in recent weeks, the IDF says the 7th Armored Brigade directed IAF aircraft to hit more than 10 Hamas operatives within just a few minutes.
צה"ל: במהלך היממה האחרונה כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף וחיסל בתוך דקות בודדות יותר מ-10 מחבלים שפעלו סמוך לכוחות צה"ל במרחב ח'אן יונס | תיעוד@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/TvAcTUPXAj
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) December 26, 2023
In another incident in Khan Younis, the IDF says the Givati Brigade spotted a Hamas cell moving toward a building used by the terror group to store weapons. An airstrike was then called in against the building.
Meanwhile, fighting continues in northern Gaza, even as the IDF has indicated it has “operational control” over most of the area.
Overnight in Jabaliya, troops of the 261st Brigade (the Bahad 1 officers’ school in wartime) battled a Hamas operative who attempted to place an explosive device near a tank some of the soldiers were in, according to the IDF.
At the same time, the soldiers called in an airstrike against the operative, members of the cell behind the attack, as well as a building being used by the cell, the IDF says.
Footage released by the IDF shows troops of the 261st Brigade (the Bahad 1 officers' school in wartime) battling a Hamas operative who attempted to place an explosive device near a tank overnight in northern Gaza's Jabaliya.
At the same time, the soldiers called in an airstrike… pic.twitter.com/thmXbwNBHY
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 26, 2023
Meanwhile, Givati troops operating with the 401st Armored Brigade raided an Islamic Jihad compound in the Gaza City neighborhoods of Daraj and Tuffah, locating firearms, explosives, and intelligence documents, according to the IDF.
