IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari gave a statement to the media on Monday evening in which he spoke about the continuation of the fighting in Gaza, mainly in the Khan Yunis area. He began his remarks by talking about the hostages held by Hamas. “136 hostages are still being held in Gaza. If you are hearing me now, we have not forgotten you. We think about you all the time. No one has given up, and no one will give up. There is a tremendous national effort, and our role in the IDF, along with other security organizations, is to create the conditions to bring everyone back. We will continue to operate in all efforts to fulfill this mission.” On the fighting in Khan Yunis, Hagari said, “In recent weeks, IDF forces have been operating in a focused manner, dismantling the military frameworks of the Hamas battalions. We have already dismantled two battalions in eastern Khan Yunis, and we are now operating in the west. Many commanders have been eliminated, have fled, surrendered, or been arrested, and the remaining terrorists are carrying out unorganized terrorist acts. Throughout Khan Yunis, we have eliminated over 2,000 terrorists above and below ground. In addition, we destroyed significant underground infrastructures, where we found facilities for holding hostages, command centers, weapons, manufacturing infrastructures, and intelligence materials. The 98th division operates in the area with infantry brigades, commando, armor, engineering, special units, and the ISA alongside them.” “Alongside this, the 162nd Division is operating in the rest of the strip in the center and north. During the night, the brigade operated in the northern strip on terror targets in Al-Shati and additional areas. The operational activity was carried out by surprise, in just a few hours, one force arrived from north to south and a second force from south to north along the coastal axis through the city center and up to Shifa Hospital. An operation that used to take us a long time took only a few hours. Meanwhile, during the operation, more than 30 terrorists were eliminated overnight. We continue to operate there tonight,” continued Hagari. Related articles: Protest condemns Israel’s Gaza operation and US policy Netanyahu, Katz vow strong response 10 rockets launched at Ashkelon, Ashdod, and surrounding areas Road in Long Island named for abducted fallen soldier He later said that IDF soldiers arrested terrorists in a tunnel. “In recent days, during an underground maneuver of Yahalom Unit soldiers along with ISA forces, in one of Hamas's significant tunnels, the soldiers broke through a blast door. Behind the door, hid three Hamas terrorists who surrendered to our forces. An action that took place underground. The terrorists were transferred to ISA interrogation and are providing valuable information for the future. Efforts like this one led to the arrest of terrorists involved in the brutal massacre on October 7, who hid in the Khan Yunis area.” On the rules of engagement, Hagari said, “The IDF operates according to guidelines not to allow any entity to reach the security border fence. The rules of engagement and force deployment policy allow troops to fulfill their mission while preventing incidents of our forces shooting at our forces or harming Israeli civilians, including hostages who might reach the area.”
