In video: Commander of Division 162 Lt. Col. Itzik Cohen and his fighters in the heart of Gaza City 05.02.24/dec
The forces of the Southern Command killed about 300 terrorists through airstrikes last Saturday alone - this is how the commander of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, presented the achievements of Division 162, which fights in the north and center of the Strip, during a situation assessment held this week.
General Finkelman clarified that in some places a brigade is no longer required for missions, but rather a battalion combat team is sufficient due to the extent of the terrorists who were killed and the destruction of the terrorist infrastructure.
According to the general, in addition to the achievement recorded on Saturday - 200 more terrorists were killed by the forces of Division 162 in four days.
The division is currently handling the terrorist centers of Hamas that are trying to recover and operate in a guerilla manner.
Finkelman emphasized that the maneuver of the 401st Brigade, through the Shatti refugee camp in the Netzer Corridor within an hour and a half - testifies to the operational control of the 162nd Division in the area.
In the meantime, the commander of the Southern Command approved for the 162nd Division a series of operations on several focal points in the Gaza Strip for the coming months.
Officers in the Southern Command emphasized that despite the negotiation efforts to release the abductees - the IDF will increase the pace of operations in the coming days.
"Due to the extent of the terrorists who were killed: a brigade is not required for the missions, but a battalion is sufficient," Major General Finkelman/IDF Spokesman
"The maneuver of the 401st Brigade indicates control of the area"/ IDF spokesman
As for dealing with the terror tunnels of Hamas, General Finkelman noted that the pace of tunnel destruction is increasing day by day thanks to the method of operation, the learning of lessons and the upgrading of capabilities.
Officers in the Southern Command clarified that for a large part of the Hamas battalions, those that are still active in them, there is nowhere to return to because the underground system was destroyed including the command and control centers, the camps and the offices.
In addition, they said that "the reports of the destruction in the media create confusion and demoralization among the terrorist operatives."
The officers also said: "Hamas will forcefully try to show that it is carrying out administrative operations in the center and north of the Gaza Strip, but they are spot-on and some are psychological warfare against its public - to show that it is still in business. That is why the IDF's activity continues."
Commander of Division 162, Brigadier General Itzik Cohen/IDF spokesman
Surrendered terrorists, destroying infrastructure and directing artillery fire: the activity of the 162nd Division in Jabaliya/IDF Spokesman
Officers in the Southern Command explained that the army is still working to move the population from the north of the Gaza Strip and Gaza City to the south of the Gaza Strip in order to allow the 162nd Division, under the command of Brigadier General Itzik Cohen, to deal with old and renewed terrorist centers. The officers emphasized that most of the command and control centers, the rocket launch sites and the tunnel infrastructure have been destroyed. The remaining centers, including those that Hamas is trying to rehabilitate, are revealed by the intelligence and intercepted through future action plans. The task of
dividing the Strip into two parts and preventing the passage of Palestinians from the south to the north was transferred from Division 99 to the Gaza Division. The officers emphasized that only in recent days thousands of Palestinians were transferred from the north of the Strip to the south to allow Intense fighting by the IDF against new terrorist nests in the built-up area."
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