On Friday evening, the IDF Spokesperson announced the expansion of ground operations in the Gaza Strip. Significant ground forces crossed into the Gaza Strip, alongside a series of massive airstrikes from the sea and air, in order to prepare the area for the combat forces and remove threats from them. The forces are still on the ground and continue fighting.
During the night there were several encounters with terrorists, but there were not many numbers, and the next few hours could be more challenging for the forces. Along with the air activity, hundreds of targets were attacked during the night. On the tactical level, since the murderous terrorist attack of October 7, terrorists have come to the area to find shelter.
"Fire never seen before": More than 150 underground targets attacked // IDF Spokesperson
As a result of the airstrikes, the commander of a Hamas battalion, the head of the organization's aerial system, was eliminated, and more than 150 underground targets were destroyed. The attack has not stopped, and continues for the time being.
The operational idea behind the IDF's operations is aimed at two goals. One is the destruction of Hamas, with its leadership, military and governmental infrastructure. To that end, the IDF attacks around the clock from the air, with the aim of killing terrorists and damaging the underground infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Ground operations expose the enemy and maximize the impact of the entire move. At the same time, it has a weight in breaking the enemy's battle spirit, and the IDF understands that this mix is necessary.
The second is the issue of the prisoners, and here Hamas lies and cheats out of its distress. The IDF understands that this is an issue that must be managed and operational opportunities must be exploited.
Responsible for reporter and paraglider attacks: Documentation from the assassination of the head of Hamas' aerial system
The IDF is satisfied with the current fog, and intends to conduct the process while assessing the situation and trying to maximize the achievement of the goals set for it. The coming day is critical to the question of the development of ground activity: it can deepen, it can stop and change centers of gravity.
The two goals, which clash to some extent, make the picture of the campaign complex.
The humanitarian issue
The IDF reiterates that the Shifa Central Hospital serves Hamas as a terrorist infrastructure, with operatives and the presence of battalion commanders, along with a connection to the underground "metro" infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. And that's an issue that still faces the military.
Despite this, there is no fuel problem in hospitals in the Gaza Strip, the IDF says, but even there they are still looking for a way to deal with the humanitarian issue posed by hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The number of trucks carrying humanitarian supplies to the area south of the Gaza River will increase as ground operations expand to cope with the resulting humanitarian pressure. For the time being, the humanitarian issue is under control, while at the same time the question of fuel is putting pressure on Hamas.
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid make their way from Egypt to Gaza via the Rafah crossing, Photo: Getty Images
Looking North
The IDF is careful not to take its eyes off the other arenas, which add complexity to the conduct of the campaign. Despite the less precise start, the IDF is pleased with the change in the equation that has occurred since the friction on the northern front began, in the form of the heavy price exacted from Hezbollah so far, and it is estimated that the army has a strong ability to deal with it.
In Judea and Samaria, despite the courage and energy that exists on the ground, nothing significant is developing, but there too there is constant surveillance and thwarting of terrorism.
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