Israeli forces have encircled the Nasser Hospital in northern Khan Yunis, one of the "final Hamas strongholds in the southern Gaza city," a military source told Israeli media on Tuesday.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck targets near the hospital early Tuesday morning. Defense establishment officials believe that senior Hamas officers and commanders who remain in Khan Yunis are hiding in the hospital.
Troops of the 98th Division and the Paratroopers Brigade continued operations in Khan Yunis, where they encountered Hamas terrorists in civilian clothes and operating out of civilian areas, the IDF’s Spokesperson’s Unit said earlier on Tuesday.♦️فيديو| دبابات الاحتلال تطلق النار تجاه الأهالي في محيط مجمع ناصر الطبي بخانيونس بعد محاصرة المنطقة#غزة #فلسطين #غزة_تحت_القصف #طوفان_الأقصى#Gaza #GazaUnderAttack #Palestine #Photography #News #Israel pic.twitter.com/s4xyzGkWiH
— شبكة قدس فيد (@quds_feed) February 6, 2024
In the past few days, soldiers killed dozens of terrorists and arrested some 80 suspected terrorists, including a number of terrorists who partook in the October 7 massacre.
Givati Brigade snipers eliminated more than 15 terrorists while fighters of the 646th Brigade Combat Team killed a lookout hiding in a building.
During the operations, Paratrooper and Egoz fighters found various weapons, among others, grenades, Kalashnikov rifles, and RPG missiles, according to the IDF.
IDF kills PIJ terrorist who partook in massacre in Nir Oz
In addition, in Deir el-Balah, troops directed an IAF jet that subsequently eliminated a terrorist belonging to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group who had taken part in the October 7 massacre in Kibbutz Nir Oz.
In parallel, a combat helicopter targeted and killed four terrorists identified by lookouts of unit 414. The group was placing observation devices in the Beit Hanoun area in an attempt to reinstall the terrorists’ intelligence system, the IDF noted.
In the north and center of the Gaza Strip, the Nahal Brigade combat team killed many terrorists in both raids and ambushes.
In the area where the Nahal fighters were operating, a missile ship detected a terrorist squad, some of which were soon killed in a joint effort by the Brigade on land, the IAF, and the navy.
The military concluded with the 401st Divisional Combat Team, which eliminated over 15 terrorists and, coordinating with the IAF, destroyed a building terrorists were using to shoot at the troops and in which explosive devices were stored.
IDF aircraft target terrorists operating in civilian areas
Later on Tuesday, the IDF said that troops of the 98th Division, along with the Givati Brigade, encountered hostile fire while opening in the Khan Yunis area.
In response, the troops directed a combat helicopter which successfully identified the source of fire operating out of the first floor of a building. The helicopter subsequently neutralized the threat, the IDF added.
Further, troops of the IDF Paratroopers Brigade, with the support of a drone, identified a terrorist advancing on their position.
After providing warning to the IDF troops, the UAV operator targeted and killed the terrorist as he exited a structure near the Israeli forces.