Hamas had already said on Sunday that its fighters attacked armored units that advanced into an area in the south of the Gaza Strip. It was possible to destroy Israeli military equipment. The military did not comment on these possible losses.
“At night there were attacks by tanks and infantry troops,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told the press. “These attacks are strikes that kill terrorist squads as they prepare for the next phase of the war.” The Israeli military has invaded “deeply” into the Gaza Strip, Hagari said. Everything that could provide information about the missing people and hostages was also searched. 222 people were kidnapped by Hamas in the attack on Israel on October 7, Hagari added.
Hagari also raised expectations that Israel could begin a full-scale ground offensive against Hamas in the near future. Armed forces have already gathered around the Gaza Strip. The operational readiness of the military is constantly being improved, Hagari said.
According to the Al-Qassam Brigades, which form the armed wing of the Palestinian organization Hamas, Israeli soldiers advanced into the Gaza Strip with tanks east of Khan Yunis. “The militants attacked the invading force, destroying two bulldozers and a tank and forcing the force to retreat before returning safely to base,” Sunday’s statement said.
Israel carried out airstrikes in the area around several hospitals in the Gaza Strip, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on reports that Israel had bombed the area around Al-Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals in Gaza City and an Indonesian hospital in the northern coastal strip. No damage or injuries were reported at the other two hospitals. Portal news agency could not immediately independently verify the reports.
On Tuesday, many people were killed in a rocket attack on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. While the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, against which Israel has been operating since a major unexpected attack on October 7, blamed an Israeli airstrike for the deaths, according to the Israeli army, a misdirected rocket from Islamic Jihad terrorists hit the clinic and people dead.
According to Hamas, at least 5,087 people have been killed since Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip began two weeks ago. The Hamas-run health ministry said on Monday that 2,055 children were among the victims. At least 15,273 people have been injured in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since 7 October.