Israeli military forces are once again fighting in Gaza City, this time to root out the re-established presence of Hamas and its fellow Iranian proxy, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization.
The IDF and Shin Bet (ISA) began counter terrorism operations overnight in response to intelligence indicating the presence of both Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist infrastructure, operatives, weapons, and investigation and detention rooms in the area of Gaza City, including in the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
It’s not the first time Israeli soldiers have fought in the area, having already eliminated terrorists and destroyed a subterranean tunnel route below the UNRWA compound in the past.
At the start of the operation, the IDF called on and warned civilians about the operational activity in the area, and a defined route will be opened to facilitate the evacuation of uninvolved civilians from the area.
According to the IDF, the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations are continuing to systematically operate and carry out terrorist activity from inside civilian infrastructure.
Numerous UNRWA facilities in Gaza have been used by the terrorist organizations as command centers from which to plan and carry out attacks against Israel.
Shejai’ya
Elsewhere in Gaza City, the troops of the 7th Brigade Combat Team are operating in the Shejai’ya area, where there has been fierce fighting for the past several days.
The troops raided and destroyed a combat compound and a Hamas command and control center. The terrorist complexes were located in schools and a clinic that were converted from civilian use to terrorist purposes.
In this compound, Hamas terrorists from the Shejai’ya Battalion fortified themselves, hid and carried out terrorist activity.
During the searches in the compound, IDF soldiers of the Rotem Battalion located and destroyed a weapons production site and dozens of weapons.
Among the arms that were found and destroyed were mortars, machine guns and grenades.
The forces also discovered Hamas intelligence documents hidden alongside UNRWA equipment and uniforms: more evidence that the United Nations organization has become entwined with Hamas.
