IDF soldiers who entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday raised the Israeli flag on one of the homes in the area, according to video shared online.
A man could be heard in the video saying “three weeks after the horrible crime, soldiers of the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Brigade lift the flag of Israel in the heart of Gaza, along the beach. We will not forget... we will not stop until victory.”
מרגש: דגל ישראל מונף בלב עזה pic.twitter.com/5ii0xXEs74
— ישראל היום (@IsraelHayomHeb) October 28, 2023
This was reportedly the first time the Israeli flag has been raised in Gaza since the Disengagement in 2005.
IDF expands ground operations in Gaza Strip
Starting on Friday night, IDF soldiers began an expanded ground entry into the Gaza Strip, reaching several kilometers into the coastal enclave.
The IDF said that the entry into Gaza was an “expansion” of the ground raids conducted earlier in week, although IDF spokesperson R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari would not say if the entry was the beginning of the ground offensive spoken about in recent weeks.
Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists in northern Gaza have continued since, with airstrikes targeting a number of locations as well.