Israeli forces are continuing to operate against terrorists in the Gaza Strip ahead of a pause in fighting approved by the Cabinet early Wednesday as part of a hostage release deal.
Troops killed Hamas spotters during targeted raids in Sheikh Za’id in northwest Jabalia, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday.
Targeted raids were also conducted in the area of Beit Hanun in recent days, with soldiers finding weapons and ammunition inside a civilian residence. IDF troops eliminated a number of terrorist cells during the raids.
On Wednesday morning, IDF troops destroyed a tunnel shaft after a terrorist exited and fired at soldiers. Troops also destroyed a structure used by Hamas and killed the terrorists there.
Soldiers of the Givati Infantry Brigade operating in Sheikh Za’id also captured the headquarters of Hamas’s Northern Gaza Brigade. Troops killed several terrorists during the fight, the IDF said.
Inside the compound, soldiers found a miniature IDF armored personnel carrier and a mockup of the barrier between Israel and Gaza.
The Givati troops also discovered a number of tunnels at the site, including a shaft that was some 160 feet deep and 23 feet wide, according to the military.
Israeli forces have uncovered and destroyed 400 tunnel shafts since the start of the IDF’s ground operation in Gaza on Oct. 27, led by soldiers from the Yahalom special unit of the Combat Engineering Corps.
Troops have located these tunnel shafts in civilian neighborhoods, including near residences, schools, hospitals, cemeteries and agricultural areas.
Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Navy struck several Hamas targets, “including a structure from which sniper fire was carried out against the troops, as well as several military posts located along the coastline.”
Israeli forces breached the blast door of the Hamas terror tunnels under the Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza City, the IDF said on Tuesday, as the army works to expose what they say is a Hamas command and control center under the medical center.
Sirens sounded in Israeli communities close to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning. Terrorists have launched more than 10,000 missiles, rockets, mortars and drones at Israel since the Oct. 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, murdering 1,200 people, wounding more than 5,000 others and kidnapping around 240 persons.
Lebanon escalations continue
Israel Air Force warplanes attacked Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon Wednesday morning.
A red alert in northern Israel on Tuesday night warned of a hostile aerial infiltration from Lebanon, threatening Kibbutz Hanita. The Iron Dome defense array successfully intercepted the suicide drone and the IDF said that the sirens were a result of the interception.
The IDF also said that on Tuesday night an alert in Rosh HaNikra was a “false identification” and that there were several launches from Lebanon toward the Shushan area of northern Israel.
IDF fighter jets also struck Hezbollah terror targets on Tuesday night in response to rocket and anti-tank missile launches throughout the day
Army chief: Your work in Gaza helps bring home hostages
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told reservists in Gaza on Tuesday that their activities helped create the conditions for the return of the hostages.
“You should know that your work in the ground maneuver also creates better conditions for bringing back the hostages. It hurts Hamas, it creates pressure, and we will continue this pressure,” said Halevi.
IDF soldier killed in Gaza
Capt. Liron Snir, 25, from Ofra, a team commander in the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, was killed in action in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
On Wednesday evening, the IDF announced the death of Staff Sgt. Eitan Dov Rosenzweig, 21, from Alon Shvut in Judea. The Givati soldier was killed in action in northern Gaza, the army added.
At least 75 IDF soldiers have been killed in action in Gaza, at the Lebanon border and in Judea and Samaria since the start of the IDF ground operation into the Gaza Strip on Oct. 27; 391 Israeli soldiers have died since the war started on Oct. 7.