Palestinians in Gaza reported the heaviest bombardments in weeks on Monday in areas east of Gaza City, just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected to complete a new expanded offensive in the enclave “fairly quickly.”
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Monday, “We are at the start of a new stage in the fighting in Gaza. We will do everything to protect the hostages and bring them home.”
The comments were made at a widespread situational assessment at the General Staff Headquarters in Tel Aviv. The announcement of the expansion of the operations in Gaza left much of the public and - most importantly, the hostage families - desperate to make sure that their loved ones wouldn't be harmed. Hamas is still holding 50 hostages, and videos were publicized last week showing Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski shaken and starving.
In Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, troops destroyed underground infrastructure that the IDF said were “significant and strategic,” and killed fighters operating against them in the area.
The military said that troops destroyed tunnel shafts, and that in southern Gaza, an airstrike killed a terrorist cell that tried to plant explosives near where IDF troops are operating.
Zamir was set to hold on Monday a wide-scale operational readiness assessment across all military branches.
The assessment was to review precise data and tailored courses of action for challenges across all fronts, with an emphasis on the state of the reserve units.
IDF apprehends weapon dealer in Syria
A weapons dealer operating in southern Syria was apprehended by the IDF on Sunday night, the military announced on Monday morning.
Troops are deployed in the area to “prevent the entrenchment of terrorist elements in Syria, with the aim of protecting the civilians of the State of Israel, and the Golan Heights in particular,” said the IDF.
Israel has treated Ahmed a-Sharaa, the Syrian leader who broke the grip of the Assad regime in December, with a watchful eye. Sources late last month indicated positive relations towards him for his ability to prevent weapons smuggling activities led by Iran and Hezbollah. This could indicate future warming ties.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.