The IDF completed the encirclement of Gaza City on Tuesday, military sources said.
Three IDF divisions completed their takeover of key areas inside and around the city — Sheikh Radwan, the coastline, Sabra, and Tel al-Hawa.
Military estimates say more than 600,000 residents have already left Gaza City.
“Hamas is currently in a state of confusion,” a military source told Maariv. “It doesn’t know where the IDF is striking from and has no clear sense of the scale of forces we’re using against them.”
For now, clashes remain limited, with Hamas avoiding major confrontations except for a few incidents. In one of them, yesterday, Maj. Shahar Netanel Buzaglo, a company commander in the 77th Armored Battalion, was killed in battle.
The military source also said that there had been "limited movement of terrorists and the number of clashes is not large. They probably prefer to dig in and preserve their strength."
IDF reinforces all fronts
IDF combat forces have been reinforced on land, at sea, in the air, and across all units throughout the country, with dozens of IDF battalions being placed on high alert for the duration of the High Holidays.
IDF Central Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth has ordered extra troops to secure shopping centers, roads, junctions, bus stops, hitchhiking posts, and communities.
“The many challenges before us, the fighting in Gaza City, defense in the North, and the constant battle against terrorism in Judea and Samaria, have recently converged with political statements, the holidays, and the olive harvest, foreign incitement, and lone-wolf inspiration. All these are not reasons for optimism, but I am full of hope,” Bluth said at a ceremony marking 35 years of the West Bank Yamam unit.
On the other hand, Hamas commanders seem to be in distress due to the heavy pressure, with sources inside Gaza City saying the terror organization is pushing for civilians to stay using violence.
"We saw at the end of the week that Hamas attacked a UN convoy, which indicates their distress. We know more about the situation Hamas finds itself in in Gaza City," said a military source.