From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 5, 2024
IDF says it killed dozens of Gaza terrorists in past 24 hours
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Israeli forces have killed dozens of Palestinian terrorists in operations throughout the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours, the Israel Defense Forces says.
The IDF says that in a joint effort between ground forces, the Israeli Air Force, and Navy, a five-man Hamas cell identified near troops of the Nahal Brigade in the central Gaza Strip was struck and killed overnight.
The Nahal Brigade and the 401st Brigade killed dozens more Hamas operatives in northern and central Gaza over the past day, the IDF says, in operations led by the 162nd Division.
Meanwhile, in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, which has been the site of the heaviest fighting in recent weeks, the army says tens of terrorists were killed in airstrikes and in close-quarters combat by forces of the 98th Division.
The IDF says a fighter jet struck a structure where a group of Hamas operatives were gathered in Khan Younis and preparing to set off explosives against troops in a nearby building.
In western Khan Younis, the IDF says the division’s Givati Brigade continued to raid Hamas sites and killed dozens of operatives over the past day.
The Paratroopers Brigade, also in western Khan Younis, directed an aircraft to scan an area near them, revealing a Hamas operative carrying an explosive device, the IDF says. The operative was then struck by the aircraft.
Also in Khan Younis, reservists of the 646th Brigade killed around ten operatives in close-quarters combat and by calling in airstrikes, according to the IDF.
In addition to killing the gunmen, troops of the 98th Division also found weapons stores, including assault rifles, sniper rifles, grenades, and magazines.
The IDF adds that Navy missile boats also struck several Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad sites along Gaza’s coast over the past day.
במרכז הרצועה חולייה של חמישה מחבלים זוהתה באיזור בו פועלים לוחמי צוות הקרב של חטיבת הנח״ל. בפעילות משותפת של הכוחות הקרקעיים, מכלול האש החטיבתי, כלי טיס, כלי שיט וטנקים, חוסלו המחבלים תוך זמן קצר>> pic.twitter.com/c809YnIr7g
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 5, 2024
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
