Despite Hamas’s success in firing 50 rockets on Netivot and the South on Tuesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday said that Israel has the terrorist group’s rocket firing capacity on the ropes.
Acknowledging that the IDF’s operational control of northern Gaza and progress in central and southern Gaza has not ended the rocket fire completely, he tried to put Hamas’s current rocket firing capabilities in context: “When there are pockets of resistance [despite the IDF’s broad success], naturally there are also some situations of rocket fire. The public could get confused by these matters and needs to understand the issue” properly, said Gallant.
The defense minister continued, “Hamas planned to fire hundreds of rockets every day on every sector of Israel. Now, it is only succeeding at firing dozens of rockets at some one-time [infrequent] flashpoint moment and only at one area.”
Further, he said that while he was not making light of any amount of rocket fire, he was confident that just as the IDF brought the average rocket fire per day way down, the military would continue to eliminate it.
Gallant addressed as well the fight with Hezbollah in the North: “We need to be ready for a deterioration of the security situation, which may compel us to use military means to return northern residents to their homes.”
Although Gallant and other Israeli officials have said that Israel prefers a diplomatic solution over a military one, they have been rattling the rhetorical saber in recent days to try to coerce the terrorist group to withdraw its forces away from the border with Israel, to convince evacuated northern Israeli residents that it is safe to return to their home communities.
IDF pushes on with Gaza operations
In Gaza, the IDF estimated on Thursday that it had killed approximately 60 terrorists.
In Khan Yunis alone, troops carried out a targeted raid, killing 40 terrorists. The operation took place at the residence of a known terrorist, where troops uncovered ten grenades, AK-47 rifles, military equipment, and technological assets.
The Givati Brigade killed dozens of terrorists through tank fire and air support in Khan Yunis at the Shohada outpost, in the southernmost area of the city.
These moves were some of the most significant in Khan Yunis in weeks, both because of the number of terrorists killed, and because the IDF penetrated more deeply into southern Khan Yunis. In contrast, to date, it operated mostly in the northern and eastern portions of the city.
Forces located intelligence documents and weapons, among them dozens of hand grenades, RPG missiles, Kalashnikov rifles, ammunition, and launchers.
Magazines, grenades, AK-47 rifles, and maps were also discovered during the operation. Additionally, troops identified four terrorists advancing toward them in Khan Yunis. A tank fired, eliminating the imminent threat.
In the northern Gaza Strip, forces successfully thwarted an ambush planned by two armed terrorists. A series of aerial strikes were conducted to neutralize armed terrorists posing a danger to IDF troops, including those operating in proximity to a school.
At a different location in the north, forces intercepted terrorists preparing a vehicle with explosives. As one of the terrorists exited a known PIJ compound, an Israeli aircraft struck and killed the individual. Shots were fired at the rigged vehicle, leading to a subsequent explosion that confirmed the presence of explosives.
Also on Thursday, the IDF disclosed a series of tactics it used to discover and destroy networks of tunnels filled with rocket and other weapons-making factories. It specifically revealed how Division 36 unveiled and eliminated such networks and facilities in the al-Muasi area and areas between Nuseirat and El-Bureij. Sources believe these tactical moves continue to reduce not only the number of rockets Hamas has to fire but any ability to produce new ones.
Division 36 recently left Gaza for redeployment to the West Bank, the North, and for some reservists to return to civilian life.
In the North, IAF jets attacked Hezbollah infrastructures in multiple rounds on Thursday, including in the Al Adisa and Itaron areas of southern Lebanon. The IDF also attacked Kafr Kila and Marjayoun in southern Lebanon earlier Thursday.
This was after two Hezbollah launches from Lebanon aimed toward the village of Arab al-Aramshe in northern Israel fell in open areas.
Hezbollah also fired on Manarah, Shtula, Malchia, and Mount Dov, with the IDF attacking the sources of the fire.
In the West Bank, Israeli security forces on Thursday arrested 15 terrorist suspects and killed eight more in a 35-hour raid of Tulkarm.
Reservist forces, along with Shin Bet, YAMAS, and Border Police, uncovered dozens of explosive devices hidden underneath roads across the West Bank.
As part of the 35-hour raid, which continued into Thursday evening, forces explored hundreds of buildings in Tulkarm and located countless amounts of weaponry and other military equipment, the IDF said.
During the operation, IDF troops encountered and clashed with terrorists, who hurled explosives at the forces. Some of the terrorists were killed by targeted aerial strikes.
Earlier Thursday, the IDF also fired a rocket interceptor at a suspicious object over the Red Sea in the Eilat area and activated rocket siren warnings. Later in the day, the IDF said the event had been a false alarm.