Dispatches from Israel
Dispatches from Israel provided by Forbes Israel.
Local.
Inside the city of Gaza: After completing the encirclement of Gaza last week, IDF (Israel Defense Forces) infantry, engineering and armored units, covered by aircraft and naval support, have been encircling Hamas strongholds and deepening their operations in the northern Gaza Strip. Since the start of ground operations, the IDF has taken control of 11 Hamas outposts.
« Hamas has, in effect, lost control of the northern Gaza Strip, » declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a special statement to the media delivered Saturday alongside Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Minister Benny Gantz. « IDF forces have completed the encirclement of the city of Gaza and are operating in the heart of the city. »
Since starting the war, Hamas has fired some 9,500 rockets, missiles and drones towards Israel. About 12% of that total have landed in the Gaza Strip, two of them landing outside hospitals, and about 900 launches originated from civilian sites such as mosques, schools, hospitals and cultural centers, according to the IDF. The IDF has discovered and sealed more than 130 tunnel entrances.
More than 100,000 Gaza residents have fled south from northern Gaza over the last two days. The IDF continues to urge the civilian population to move to safe areas in the south through humanitarian corridors.
Israel-Hezbollah border clashes continue to escalate. Hezbollah attacks recently have wounded more than 20 Israelis, one critically. IDF fighter jets attacked several targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon in response to the shooting. Hezbollah squads also have attempted to infiltrate the border. IDF drones continuously patrolling the northern sector have spotted and eliminated the terrorist squads. According to Hezbollah, 71 of its operatives have been killed by the IDF since the beginning of the war. Six IDF soldiers have been killed by Hezbollah attacks in the past month.
Heavy barrages of rocket fire towards the heavily populated Galilee and Haifa areas. The Iron Dome system intercepted all the rockets fired over the weekend and IDF artillery forces struck at the sources of the rocket fire as well as Hezbollah military infrastructure, observation posts and weapon and ammunition depots.
