The IDF on Sunday initiated a large operation to try to consolidate control over Khan Yunis in southern Gaza and Zeitoun in northeastern Gaza, a plan that has been in the works for the past week.
Northern Gaza was said to be under IDF operational control already in early January (parts were in control in mid-November), and southern Gaza, other than Rafah, was said to be under IDF operational control in early February.
Despite that, the military decided that too many Hamas forces had partially reconstituted themselves in the intervening period, enough that a series of larger organized and robust operations were needed to break Hamas’s organization again.
IDF sources said that in Zeitun it was much easier to defeat Hamas than before, requiring only a brigade-level force, whereas multiple divisions were required earlier.The timing of the parallel operations also came as Israel was trying to pressure Hamas into a second hostage exchange deal, though IDF sources protested that there was no direct connection to the negotiations..
More than 100 terrorists were killed in Zeitun, dozens were killed in Khan Yunis and around 30 in central Gaza. In Khan Yunis, the air force and artillery units struck around 50 targets in six minutes.
Operations in Khan Yunis
Unlike Zeitun, which only required a brigade, Khan Yunis still required a division, and this was the first full Division 98-level operation in weeks.
Recent weeks had seen smaller IDF forces engaging in Khan Yunis in lower key cleaning up operations of remaining pieces of what had once been larger Hamas terror cells that had already been broken at the battalion level.Brigade 401 Commander Col. Beni Aharon said that although Hamas managed to partially reconstitute in northern Gaza, it would be much harder for it to do so again after this operation.
He explained that during the operation, the military had destroyed much more of the remaining tunnel network used by Hamas terrorists to flee.He added that the IDF eliminated even smaller rocket firing platforms, armaments manufacturing areas, and communication areas that it had passed by in the initial invasion when the focus was only on larger bases.A similar process occurred in Khan Yunis. Among the series of targets struck were subterranean structures, military infrastructure, anti-tank missile launch posts, structures rigged with traps, and local operational meeting points.Like in northern Gaza, the initial invasion of Khan Yunis was more focused on larger-scale Hamas bases, with less time and energy to focus on smaller bases.Military sources suggested that each time the IDF hits Hamas with another wave, it makes it easier for Israeli forces to return and restore order anytime Hamas attempts to reconstitute. They also recognized, however, that this might not be the last such operation.Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other top defense officials have talked about having to put down a three- to 12-month insurgency, starting from around January – meaning that some occasional large-scale fighting may happen periodically throughout the year.It was unclear how a ceasefire that would include a significant pause in fighting would impact this schedule, especially if it is extended, along with two Hamas battalions in central Gaza and four in Rafah.Sources said that a thousand Palestinian civilians were evacuated from Zeitun during the fighting. About 150,000-300,000 Palestinians remain in northern Gaza – out of the original 1.2 million, most of whom evacuated to the south.Col. Aharon’s brigade was made up of around three and a half battalions.The military announced on Sunday that Warr. Ofc. Dennis Yekimov, 33, from Beersheba, was killed in battle on Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip.Meanwhile, at press time, in the North, there had been a substantial decrease in rocket fire and attacks by Hezbollah. The last significant day of attacks by Hezbollah was Wednesday, with single digits on Thursday and Friday and none on Saturday.Likewise, rocket fire from Gaza has remained in single digits each day.In contrast, the IDF kept up fairly significant attacks on Hezbollah through Saturday, though at press time, it had not struck the Lebanese terror group on Sunday.Separately, the IDF confirmed on Sunday morning that it completed its review and found that no drone strike occurred during a difficult incident last week where Palestinians were trampled to death while attempting to charge an aid convoy.The army also confirmed that on Saturday, US Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into Gaza. Over the past few weeks, in cooperation and coordination with Jordan, France, the UAE, and Egypt, more than 450 packages of food and medical aid were distributed through 21 airdrops to the Gaza Strip.Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.