Tel Aviv, Israel – The Israeli military spokesperson announced in an official statement that intensive military operations had been carried out targeting Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. The statement justified the operations as necessary to “remove threats” and “respond to ceasefire violations.” These developments on the ground come amid ongoing security tensions in the region.
Targeting the headquarters of the naval police in Khan Younis
According to a statement from the Israeli military, its forces carried out a precise attack last Sunday targeting the headquarters of Hamas’s naval police in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The statement claimed that the headquarters “was used to oversee military operations against the Israeli army.” The military also confirmed that the raid resulted in the elimination of several militants inside the headquarters, including Ismail al-Lahham, whom the statement described as a commander in the movement’s military wing.
The Israeli military claimed that the Gaza naval police operate under the command of Hamas’s military wing. It accused Hamas of attempting to rebuild its military capabilities at this location, deeming it a violation of the ceasefire agreement. The military also asserted that Hamas deliberately uses facilities ostensibly civilian for military purposes.
Destruction of weapons depots
In a related development, the IDF announced the destruction of three additional weapons depots belonging to Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip last week. These depots, the IDF claimed, were intended for use against Israeli forces. The statement added that the army issued advance warnings to civilians in the surrounding areas before carrying out the strikes.
The statement also noted that attempts by the group’s militants to smuggle these weapons in vehicles were detected before they were targeted. It asserted that the secondary explosions that occurred at the sites after the strikes were conclusive proof of the presence of large quantities of weapons inside the targeted depots.
The army spokesperson concluded his remarks by affirming the continued deployment of Southern Command forces in the area, in accordance with the existing agreement. He also emphasized that military operations would continue with the aim of “eliminating any immediate threat” that forces might face in the field. This comes amidst the recent exchange of threats on the Gaza front.
