Nine months into the ground operation in Gaza, the IDF said Tuesday that half of the leadership of Hamas’ military wing have been eliminated and approximately 14,000 terrorists eliminated or apprehended.
IDF ground, air and naval forces have been operating in the Gaza Strip for 263 days to achieve the objectives of the war.
Among the terrorists eliminated thus far are six brigade commanders, more than 20 battalion commanders, and approximately 150 company commanders, the IDF said.
“As a result of precise intelligence and operational efforts, half of the leadership of Hamas’ military wing has been eliminated up until this stage of the war through a series of strikes and eliminations.”
The IDF is continuing to pursue the top leaders of the Hamas terrorist organization as part of the objective to dismantle the organization’s capabilities.
So far, the IDF has struck approximately 37,000 targets from the air within the Gaza Strip, and more than 25,000 terrorist infrastructure and launch sites.
In some cases, IDF Oketz canine fighters with cameras on their harnesses are used to explore the tunnels and track down explosives and other weaponry.
The Southern Command’s fire control center, in cooperation with the Israeli Air Force, directs airstrikes against sites from which rockets were launched at Israel and security forces in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF is also focused on locating terrorists who embed themselves and establish bases in sensitive sites across the Gaza Strip, including in hospitals, schools, and humanitarian shelters. These areas are cynically exploited by terrorists who attempt to use them as hiding places and bases for terrorism.
Strikes against this infrastructure are conducted in accordance with international law, with the purpose of preventing the restoration of terrorist organizations’ capabilities.
“The Intelligence Directorate and the Southern Command’s intelligence system produce high-quality intelligence that supports the fighting forces operating in the Strip,” the IDF said.
“This intelligence enables the execution of a series of initiated operations and targeted raids against terrorist infrastructure and operatives, based on precise intelligence indications.”
Israeli forces in the field are fighting both above and below ground, while the Southern Command’s engineering unit has created an action plan against Hamas’ underground system and continues to map and dismantle it.
So far, the IDF has dismantled dozens of production sites and workshops, as well as offensive and strategic underground tunnel routes.
