From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 15, 2024
Gallant: High-intensity fighting finished in northern Gaza, will soon end in Khan Younis too
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says the “intensive phase” of the ground offensive in northern Gaza has ended, and it will soon end in the Khan Younis area of the Strip’s south as well.
Troops have been carrying out operations at a lower intensity in northern Gaza, after defeating all of Hamas’s battalions in the area. The soldiers have been working to locate the remaining Hamas sites and kill or capture the terror group’s last operatives.
“In the south of the Gaza Strip [the intensive phase] will end soon,” Gallant says, referring to the Khan Younis area, without giving an exact timeline.
In southern Gaza, Gallant says “IDF troops are focused on the head of the snake, the Hamas leadership. As part of this action… the Khan Younis Brigade is gradually disintegrating as a fighting force.”
“We also cut off the roads that lead to Rafah above and below ground,” he says.
He also warns that “political indecision may harm the progress of the military operation.”
“The future government in Gaza must grow from the Gaza Strip, Gaza will be ruled by Palestinians. The end of the military campaign must be anchored in a political act,” he says.
