Current fighting in Jabaliya is among the war’s ‘most violent,’ says IDF

Recent fighting in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya is being described by officers as some of the most intense amid the ongoing war, as Hamas operatives are launching massive numbers of RPGs at tanks and armored vehicles.

Late Saturday, Israeli tanks of the 7th Armored Brigade rolled into Jabaliya, an area that the military had previously operated in and claimed to have dismantled Hamas’s battalions. The latest operation, however, is focused on areas deep in the Jabaliya refugee camp, which the IDF did not reach during the initial ground offensive.

The IDF has so far reported killing more than 200 gunmen in the area — at least 60 of whom were killed by the 7th Brigade — and it estimates there may be several hundred more.

The fighting is being described as “intense” and the “most violent” amid the war, with many engagements, both above ground and by operatives using tunnels. The Jabaliya camp also has many narrow alleys, making it challenging for tanks to operate there.

The operatives are mostly launching RPGs at tanks, but also setting up explosive devices. The 7th Brigade’s Merkava tanks, with the TROPHY active defense system, are largely managing to withstand the RPG attacks, with only a few cases of troops being injured, according to the military.

Hamas operatives have also been launching attacks from within or near humanitarian shelters in Jabaliya, according to the army. The shelters have since been evacuated of civilians.

A cache of rockets is found by IDF troops in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, in a handout image released May 17, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says troops of the 101st Paratroopers Battalion, operating alongside the tank forces, located a rocket depot adjacent to one of the shelters. Dozens of long-range rockets and rocket parts were found at the site, it says.

At the adjacent shelter, some 20 suspected terror operatives were detained by troops, the IDF adds.