Gaza

UPDATED: Israel ground forces raid Hamas sites in Gaza

cde.news desk 26 October 2023, 10:38 · 1 min read

epa10918970 Israeli soldiers, with battle tanks, muster at a gathering site at an undisclosed location along the border with Gaza in southern Israel, 14 October 2023. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) on 13 October called for the evacuation of all civilians of northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion. More than 1,300 Israelis have been killed and over 3,200 others injured, according to the IDF, after the Islamist movement Hamas launched an attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip on 07 October. More than 2,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 8,700 others injured in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes, the Palestinian health ministry said. EPA-EFE/MARTIN DIVISEK

JERUSALEM, Oct 26 (Reuters) – Israeli ground forces operated within the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, attacking multiple Hamas targets before withdrawing, the military said in a statement on what Israel’s Army Radio described as the biggest incursion of the current war.

Video of the overnight action issued by the military showed armoured vehicles proceeding through a sandy border zone. A bulldozer is seen levelling part of a raised bank, tanks fire shells, and explosions are seen near or amid a row of damaged buildings.

In preparation for the next stages of combat, the IDF operated in northern Gaza.

IDF tanks & infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts.

The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory. pic.twitter.com/oMdSDR84rU
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 26, 2023

The military statement posted online said the incursion was carried out “in preparation for the next stages of combat”, a possible reference to the large-scale invasion that Israeli leaders have threatened as part of the war to destroy Hamas.

“The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory,” the military statement added.

Israel began localised ground incursions on Sunday as the war, triggered by an Oct 7 cross-border rampage by Hamas gunmen, entered its third week. Israel’s Army Radio described Thursday’s incursion as the biggest yet.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas in Gaza.