Army says troops raided Khan Younis mosque used as Hamas base, carried out strikes on tunnels

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing above buildings during Israeli strikes on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 9, 2023 (MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing above buildings during Israeli strikes on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 9, 2023 (MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)

The IDF says its 98th Division continues to battle Hamas in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, with the Air Force carrying out strikes on the terror group’s sites.

According to the IDF, troops of the Golani Infantry Brigade’s 12th Battalion raided a mosque in the Khan Younis area where Hamas operatives were.

The IDF says an explosive device was detonated near the forces, and the troops directed an attack helicopter to strike Hamas operatives on the roof of the mosque, a number of others who came out of a tunnel, and more gunmen identified in the area.

Later, an IAF fighter jet destroyed the mosque along with the tunnel infrastructure under it, the IDF says.

Meanwhile, the elite Maglan unit identified three Hamas operatives coming out of a tunnel shaft in central Khan Younis and firing RPGs at the troops, the IDF says. It adds that the troops returned fire, killing the gunmen.

The Maglan troops also directed drone strikes on additional Hamas operatives and tunnel shafts in the area, according to the IDF.

The IDF says the elite Duvdevan unit located a Hamas command room, which was being used by operatives to ambush the troops. The Duvdevan soldiers carried out an assault on the building, along with an IAF fighter jet carrying out strikes on another Hamas cell in the area.

The IDF also says troops of the Givati Infantry Brigade killed a number of Hamas operatives and located numerous tunnel shafts in southern Gaza. It says that the forces destroyed Hamas infrastructure and directed airstrikes on hideouts used by operatives.

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