IDF says troops facing complex close quarter combat in Gaza

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says fighting in the Gaza Strip is becoming more complex as troops operate deeper into the Hamas-run territory.

“This is complex hand-to-hand combat. In the fierce battles that took place today, we lost troops,” he says.

Hagari says two Givati soldiers killed today died “bravely in battle” as troops worked to capture a Hamas stronghold in Jabaliya.

On an intercepted missile and several drones launched from Yemen toward Israel today, Hagari says “There are many elements in the region that are under Iranian orders such as the Houthis.”

“They try to challenge us, divert our attention away from the war in Gaza. We remain focused on the fighting in Gaza,” he says.

He says the IDF “will know how to respond, at the time and place of our choosing.”