The Israeli army says it struck several Hamas targets in Gaza last night. Hamas commander Mustafa Dalul is said to have died in the attacks.
The Israeli army says it has besieged Gaza City, which has more than 590,000 inhabitants, located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
The spokesperson of the army tells about it Daniel Hagari and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
– Armored troops and infantry, supported by aircraft, attack the surface and underground infrastructure used by Hamas. Our soldiers kill terrorists in face-to-face battles, Hagari told a press conference.
According to Chief of Staff Halev, the Israeli ground forces have besieged the city “from several different directions” in recent days.
British Broadcasting Corporation The BBC reportsthat five different battles are taking place in the northern parts of the strip and around Gaza City.
The map below shows the Israeli army’s attack directions.
This map shows that the worst destroyed places in Gaza are in the densely populated Gaza City and its outskirts:
A Hamas commander was allegedly killed in last night’s attacks
According to Israel, its air and ground forces and the navy struck several targets of the terrorist organization Hamas last night, killing dozens of its fighters.
Israel claims to have killed a Hamas commander with its strikes Mustafa Dalulin, who is said to have led the terrorist organization’s battles in the Gaza Strip. Hamas has not confirmed the death of its commander.
Hagari says that in the night’s attacks, Hamas’ “large caches of weapons, protective equipment, communication equipment and maps” were found.
Hamas is also said to have mined and occupied areas where fighting is taking place.
Hamas and its ally also operating in Gaza, the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad, say that they have attacked Israeli forces with various explosives, drone-dropped grenades, mortars and anti-tank rockets.
According to Israel, at least 23 Israeli soldiers have died during the ground attack. Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida says for his part that Israel downplays the number of dead soldiers.
US pressures Israel into ‘humanitarian pauses’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met the Israeli leadership in Tel Aviv on Friday to demand “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
According to the White House, humanitarian pauses in the fighting should be temporary and localized. The United States has rejected several other countries’ demands for a complete ceasefire.
Israel has also said that it will not agree to a temporary ceasefire until all the hostages taken by Hamas are released.
In addition, Blinken discussed the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu with measures to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza.
Speaking before the President of Israel by Isaac Herzog meeting, Blinken reiterated that Israel has the right to “do everything” to ensure that such an attack never happens again.
– When it comes to the protection of civilians caught in the crossfire of Hamas, it is very important that we do everything possible to protect them and to deliver help to those who so desperately need it and who are in no way responsible for what happened on October 7, Blinken added.
Sources: AP, BBC, Reuters