From the Liveblog of
Sunday, June 30, 2024
IDF says at least 40 Hamas terrorists killed, several tunnels destroyed in Shejaiya operation
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
At least 40 Hamas operatives have been killed by Israeli troops in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood amid a new pinpoint raid there, according to fresh IDF assessments.
The number refers to those the IDF was able to identify following battles. More terror operatives were likely killed in strikes against buildings and tunnels, the army has assessed.
The operation in Shejaiya, launched on Thursday, came after the IDF said it identified Hamas operatives regrouping in the area, as well as new intelligence on the terror group’s infrastructure.
The raid is being carried out by the 98th Division with two brigades: the 7th Armored Brigade and Paratroopers Brigade.
The IDF first operated in Shejaiya during the initial months of the ground offensive against Hamas, announcing that it had dismantled the terror group’s local battalion there in December. It last returned to the Gaza City neighborhood in April, as the military shifted its operations in the Strip to intelligence-based targeted raids.
According to military assessments, surviving Hamas operatives in northern Gaza have been able to regroup in Shejaiya, as well as recruit new members to the terror group.
In the latest operation in Shejaiya, the IDF says it has been able to reach previously undiscovered tunnel networks and Hamas sites, using new intelligence obtained during other operations in Gaza. Many tunnels were demolished in the initial offensive in the neighborhood, but not all were discovered at the time.
The latest operation began on Thursday with a raid against a school complex in Shejaiya that had been turned into a “combat complex” by Hamas operatives, according to the military. The IDF said troops reached the complex within 40 minutes and found a long-range rocket launcher in the area. The site was in an area the army had not reached in previous operations in Shejaiya.
The raid against the school has provided the IDF with valuable intelligence on Hamas activities, military officials say.
Troops are also encountering relatively fierce resistance in Shejaiya, with dozens of attacks, including RPG fire, explosive devices, and sniper attacks, as well as some close-quarters combat.
Two soldiers were killed and another two were seriously wounded in separate incidents in Shejaiya over the weekend.
The army expects the operation in Shejaiya to not take longer than a few weeks, similar to other pinpoint raids in the northern Gaza Strip that have been carried out in recent months.
