IDF says heavy fighting continues in Khan Younis, dozens of Hamas fighters killed

The IDF says fighting continues deep within Khan Younis, with ground forces of the 98th Division killing dozens of Hamas gunmen and the Air Force carrying out a wave of strikes.

Overnight, IAF fighter jets struck several Hamas sites in the Khan Younis area, including apartments used by operatives, weapons depots, observation posts, and staging grounds, the military says.

In Khan Younis, the IDF says that the division’s Paratroopers Brigade spotted five Hamas gunmen entering a building, and directed an airstrike on them.

Nearby, the Maglan unit spotted four Hamas operatives who had fired an anti-tank missile hours earlier, and directed a fighter jet to strike them, the IDF says, adding that several more gunmen were killed by troops in the area.

The Givati Brigade, meanwhile, eliminated a six-man Hamas cell with tank shelling and sniper fire in the Khan Younis area, the IDF says.

In northern Gaza, the military says IAF fighter jets struck several Hamas sites, including a building that was booby-trapped, an anti-tank launch position, and a tunnel shaft, while reservists of the 5th Brigade killed several Hamas gunmen with tank shelling and by directing airstrikes in the area.

The IDF says the Navy also carried out strikes along the Gaza coast overnight, as part of support for troops of the Nahal Brigade who are maneuvering in the Strip.

מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר בהכוונת מרכז האש של אוגדה 98 ביצעו מטס תקיפות לעשרות מטרות: דירות מבצעיות, מחסני אמצעי לחימה, עמדות תצפית ונקודות כינוס של מחבלים>> pic.twitter.com/Y9LokWgZBt

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) January 26, 2024