The army’s mission is to evacuate all residents of Israeli areas surrounding the Gaza Strip within 24 hours, its spokesman said on Sunday, reporting “ongoing fighting for the release of hostages” between infiltrated forces of Israeli and Palestinian militants.
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“Our mission for the next 24 hours is to evacuate all residents around Gaza,” Gen. Daniel Hagari said at a news conference.
The evacuation must be done safely and after a careful survey of the area to ensure there are no other militants, he added.
Since the start of the Palestinian Hamas offensive against Israel from Gaza on Saturday, hundreds of activists have been killed and dozens more captured, General Hagari said.
“We killed hundreds at the security barrier [érigée par Israël autour de la bande Gaza] in their advance into Israel and during their retreat. We have killed more than 400 people and injured thousands in Gaza,” he added, without further details.
He assured that the Israeli army had taken control of the points where Hamas operatives had entered Israel from Gaza the day before.
The general reported the deployment of “tens of thousands of combat soldiers” in Israeli areas bordering Palestinian territory. And “we will reach all sectors one by one until we kill every terrorist present in Israel,” he assured.
“Heroic fighting is now underway to free hostages, and there was also fighting throughout the night,” the official said, reporting fighting in Kfar Aza, two kilometers east of the Gaza border.
On Saturday evening, the army named two places within a 20-kilometer radius of the Gaza Strip where hostage-taking took place: Beeri, where dozens of people were held hostage for hours in the Raumessen kibbutz, and Ofakim.
According to Israeli media, these hostages have since been released. However, when asked by the AFP news agency, the army refused to provide any information about the ongoing operation.