Israeli soldiers have entered Gaza City after completely surrounding the urban area where the main force of the Palestinian militant group Hamas is based, but will now face a number of challenges in the densely populated city.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari said that after encircling Gaza City, naval ships and aircraft would now support infantry and tanks in attacking command and control centers, rocket launch sites and other Hamas infrastructure.
Hagari said combat engineers were also working to “destroy and neutralize” explosives and other threats so troops could move more freely in the area.
“Our forces kill terrorists in hand-to-hand combat, wherever fighting is necessary, the IDF and its soldiers have the upper hand, even when it is difficult,” he said at a news conference on Thursday.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said in a televised statement earlier Thursday that Israeli forces were operating in the heart of Gaza City and engaged in “frontal fighting.”
“These forces are fighting in an urban, confined area,” he said. “It requires professional fighting and a lot of courage.”
The push into Gaza City comes hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posed with soldiers and said his forces were on the outskirts of Gaza City and were ready to “advance and win.”
“Nothing will stop us” Netanyahu wrote on Xthe social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The Israeli push into Gaza City, less than a week after Netanyahu announced the “second phase” of the war and the expansion of ground operations in Gaza, marks the start of a brutal fighting campaign.
In some cases, soldiers will have to fight house by house and penetrate the vast network of booby-trapped tunnels beneath the city if they are to completely destroy Hamas, which is Israel’s stated goal.
According to the IDF, at least 18 Israeli soldiers have already been killed.
But Israel is determined to root out Hamas, which launched a deadly attack in southern Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people and taking more than 200 others hostage.
Heavy bombing has already killed around 9,000 Palestinians in Israel’s military campaign, but even more casualties are expected in a prolonged ground offensive.
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