The Israeli military spokesman described the military structure of the Islamic group Hamas in the north of the Gaza Strip as dismantled. Spokesman Daniel Hagari said today that before the war began three months ago, Hamas had two brigades with 12 regiments in the northern coastal strip. “In total, there were about 14,000 terrorists,” Hagari said. Since then, numerous commanders have been killed and weapons and ammunition destroyed. Soldiers found underground tunnels and demolished them.
In the Jabalya refugee camp alone, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, eight kilometers of underground tunnels and 40 entrances were found, Hagari said. Hamas no longer functions in an organized manner in this area. “There are still terrorists in Jabalya, but now they are acting without a structure and without commanders.” But he expects sporadic rocket attacks on Israel from this area to continue.
The army is now focusing on destroying Hamas structures in the center and south of the Gaza Strip. This will take time, fighting will continue throughout the year, said Hagari.
Alleged photo of Hamas military chief Deif released
Meanwhile, the Israeli army also released a photograph allegedly showing the head of the armed wing of the terrorist organization Hamas, Mohammed Deif. The photo circulated today shows a bearded, gray-haired man holding several bills in his left hand and a plastic cup of liquid in his right hand.
Until the war in Gaza began three months ago, Israel only had very old photographs of the man believed to be one of the central masterminds of the October 7 terrorist attack against Israel. A new image of Deif, who for years was described as a ghost and survived numerous Israeli attempts to kill him, had already emerged in December.
Israel had long assumed that Deif had lost several limbs. In December, Israeli media reported that the army had found a video showing Deif with both arms and both legs.