From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Senior IDF officer: Hamas showing ‘signs of breaking’ after 22,000 targets in Gaza struck
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A senior IDF officer says that in recent days the military has identified “signs of Hamas breaking” in the Gaza Strip, as it continues its offensive against the terror group.
“The extent of the destruction and damage creates command and control problems [for Hamas]. There are areas in the Gaza Strip that Hamas no longer controls militarily,” the officer says.
“Despite the achievements, we are not close to the end of the fighting. We continue to operate with great intensity, and work to dismantle entire battalions of Hamas,” he says, adding that about half of the 24 Hamas battalion commanders have been eliminated in airstrikes and other operations.
The military estimates that some 7,000 Hamas operatives have been killed in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF in a statement says it has struck more than 22,000 targets in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war, 3,500 of them since the end of the ceasefire on December 1.
The strikes were carried out by the Air Force, Navy and ground troops.
The targets have included Hamas infrastructure, including tunnels, weapons depots, command centers, and rocket launchers, as well as terror operatives.
The IDF says it is currently battling Hamas in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, Shejaiya, and Beit Hanoun, and in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
