A few hours ago, the IDF completed the takeover of the Shati refugee camp, and later the 162nd and 36th Divisions are expected to meet along Gaza's coastal route, from the north and south, thus completing the encirclement of the northern Gaza Strip from the west. The army notes that there is still a possibility that a terrorist or a few lone terrorists will try to harm the forces, but the main part of Shetty has been destroyed.
Hours before ground forces entered the Shati area, Israeli Air Force forces attacked enemy targets in the camp, and the 215th Brigade opened fire to prepare the area for ground maneuvers.
IDF forces at the Shati camp, photo: IDF Spokesperson
IDF forces in the northern Gaza Strip, photo: IDF Spokesperson
The forces in action, photo: IDF Spokesperson
80 percent reduction in rocket fire capabilities
The forces of the 162nd Division significantly damage Hamas' terrorist infrastructure and operational capabilities. So far, the division's forces have located more than 160 tunnel shafts, attacked about 2,800 terrorist infrastructures and eliminated about 1,000 terrorists and commanders from the Hamas terrorist organization.
Brigadier General Itzik Cohen, commander of the 162nd Division: "We have created conditions that enable the dismantling of Hamas' military and governmental capabilities in Gaza City. Since the beginning of the fighting, the IDF and the 162nd Division have been dismantling Hamas' centers of gravity and capabilities that the organization has built up over years. Since the beginning of the ground maneuver, the division forces have killed more than 1,000 terrorists and reduced by about 80 percent the rocket fire at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip."
Documentation of the activities of the 162nd Division forces in the Shati camp | IDF Spokesperson
After more than two weeks of ground maneuvers in the northern Gaza Strip, the army notes that the IDF still does not have a "victory picture" in this area, but it certainly created the conditions for Hamas to defeat in the northern Gaza Strip. Hamas' final victory in the region, the IDF says, will require a lot of time and patience, and it is likely that it will also deal with difficult events.
The buildings of government institutions were purged and destroyed
The combat team of the 401st Brigade entered the Gaza Strip and led the rest of the forces from the northern Gaza Strip to deep into the enemy at Camp Shati. The combat teams of the Givati Brigade and the 401st Brigade destroyed many targets on the outskirts of Shati from the ground and air, including central buildings and government institutions belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization, from which terrorist activity against Israeli civilians and forces was directed.
Fighters from the commando brigade's battle team operated in the northern part of Camp Shati to locate operatives of the Shati Battalion of the Hamas terrorist organization and destroy its infrastructure. The brigade's forces raided buildings deep in the camp and destroyed many enemy infrastructures. In addition, they carried out a raid to mop up a school area where anti-tank launcher positions, a large quantity of weapons and terrorist infrastructure were found.
30 percent destroyed
As for the next stage in the Shati refugee camp, the IDF intends to systematically mop up the area and destroy Hamas' underground compound in the area. According to estimates, the IDF has already mapped about 95 percent of the underground city in the area, but so far only about 30 percent of it has been destroyed. Among other things, the IDF destroyed the underground beneath the northwestern corner of the Shati refugee camp, above which were about 70 collapsed high-rise buildings.
Documentation of attacks by the 401st Brigade in the Shati camp | IDF Spokesperson
The IDF describes persistent fighting by the Shati Battalion, which numbered between 150 and 200 terrorists. The terrorists were equipped with all weapons, including anti-tank weapons, IEDs, IEDs and more. The commander of the local battalion managed to escape, but the IDF promises to get their hands on him and eliminate him.
The "security square" - Hamas' Kirya base exposed
The forces on the ground report that every second house in the refugee camp is booby-trapped, and hundreds of IEDs were stationed there waiting for the forces. The army chose to operate in a sophisticated and unique course of action, which cannot be detailed, thanks to which, at least in the 162nd Division sector, none of the forces were injured as a result of IEDs. As part of the deception, among other things, although the terrorists believed that the IDF would prefer to fight with them at night, the fighting took place and is still carried out mainly in broad daylight.
Summary of the 162nd Division's Maneuver Activity in the Northern Gaza Strip | IDF Spokesperson
Particularly fierce battles took place in Hamas' so-called "security square," a kind of base for the organization's Kirya. In the security square is one of Hamas' most significant shafts – which reaches no less than 30 meters underground, and is connected to an oxygen, communications and telephone system. An elevator goes up and down the shaft that can accommodate 6-7 people, and the IDF notes with certainty that Hamas' most senior leadership operated from there.
The army notes that the forces are under operational control of the area but have not yet cleansed the area, so once every few days a terrorist comes out and tries to harm the forces. The terrorists use mainly short-range anti-tank missiles, while at least in the 162nd Division sector, commanders can testify that the long-range anti-tank missiles, like the Kornets, were destroyed in the first day of the fighting.
As for Rantisi Hospital, whose underneath was revealed yesterday by IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari, the IDF notes that in addition to a chair to which she was apparently bound, diapers and other artifacts, explosive belts were also found there, which the terrorists apparently planned to use if the army tried to rescue the hostages.
Footage from Go-Pro cameras of commanders in the 162nd Division during the operation | IDF Spokesperson
The forces on the ground, which are trying to wear down Hamas and defeat it, note that a pause of a few days will allow Hamas time to re-equip itself with food and weapons. The army reports that in one case, for example, 12 terrorists gave up during fighting with the Givati Brigade because they were exhausted and exhausted, and their commanders fled.
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