Israeli forces renew fighting in central Gaza: Israel Defence Forces

Tel Aviv: Based on intelligence that Hamas is trying to regroup in central Gaza, Israeli troops renewed operations against the terror group in the areas of Bureij and Deir al-Balah, the Israel Defence Forces said on Wednesday.

The activity started with a series of aerial strikes on terror targets, including military compounds, weapons storage facilities, and underground infrastructure. During the strikes, several Hamas terrorists were eliminated. In one incident, a fighter jet struck a Hamas sniper who threatened ground forces.

Simultaneously to the aerial strikes, ground forces launched targeted daylight operations to dismantle terrorist infrastructure located several kilometers away from the border with Israel above and below ground.

Also, IDF troops continued targeted operations in the Rafah area, eliminating terrorists and locating weapons.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 120 remaining hostages, more than 30 are believed dead.

Along the Lebanese border, the IDF said it shot down a hostile aircraft, presumably a drone, that crossed into Israeli air space in the area of Metula. Shortly after, a second suspicious aerial target crossing the border from Lebanon was also shot down. No damage was caused, but concerns of falling shrapnel had residents hurrying to bomb shelters.

Meanwhile, wildfires in the Galilee and Golan regions sparked by the Hezbollah barrages were brought under control on Tuesday night. The biggest blazes were in the Biriya forest near Safed, and the Keren Naftali forest in the Upper Galilee.

Eddi Aharonoff, a spokesperson for the Fire Brigade, told The Press Service of Israel on Tuesday that “green areas” were the worst hit, calling the 4,000 acres of burnt forests an “environmental disaster.”

Around 60,000 Israelis living in northern communities were forced to evacuate in October when the Hezbollah terror organization began daily rocket and drone attacks. Leaders of the Iran-backed terror group have said they will continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes. Since October 7, the Hezbollah attacks have killed 10 civilians and 14 soldiers. (ANI)

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