IDF says it has carried out 10,000 airstrikes in Gaza since start of ground operation

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

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Dec. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Dec. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

The Israel Defense Forces says it has marked 10,000 airstrikes carried out in the Gaza Strip that were directed by ground forces.

These airstrikes have been led by the Israeli Air Force’s so-called cooperation unit — also known as Cooperation Unit 5620 — which coordinates operations between the IAF and ground forces during maneuvers.

“From the beginning of the fighting until today, around 10,000 airstrikes were carried out at the direction of the forces on the ground, in short periods. The forces ‘closed circles’ and thwarted terror cells, terror infrastructure, operational apartments, tunnel shafts, weapons warehouses and more,” the IDF says in a statement.

Speaking during an assessment today at the IAF’s headquarters, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says that “a large part of our security in the maneuver is the very, very close and high-quality cooperation [of the ground forces] with the Air Force.”

“It made the maneuver much more effective,” Halevi adds.

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