Day 34: IDF captures key Hamas stronghold, battles Hamas fighters in tunnels
As IDF secures above-ground area, tunnel system becomes the main focus
The IDF announced on Thursday morning that fighters from the Nahal Brigade completed an operation to take over Outpost 17, a military stronghold of the Hamas terrorist organization in western Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip.
During the takeover, the troops fought against terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) at the outpost, both above ground and in tunnels.
After 10 hours of fighting, during which they eliminated terrorists, captured weapons and uncovered terror tunnels – including a shaft located near a kindergarten leading to “an extensive underground route” – the soldiers managed to take control of the stronghold.
Nahal soldiers also collected significant battle plans at the outpost.
In an audio recording, a commander can be heard stating, “We are waiting here, the Yahalom force has joined us, and we have already found the third shaft,” referring to a tunnel shaft. “Right now, we're starting to investigate the three shafts.”
The commander then says, “In my estimation, there is a weapons workshop underground.”
The IDF did not report any casualties from the fighting as of publication. The release of the names of soldiers killed is typically delayed until the IDF has contacted the families of the fallen soldiers.
The Israeli army published the name of one soldier who fell in combat recently: Staff Sgt. Eliahou Benjamin Elmakayes, 29, from Jerusalem, an engineering soldier in Battalion 8219 of the 551st Brigade.
Elmakayes death marks the 35th IDF casualty since the beginning of the IDF's ground operation in Gaza.
Later on Thursday morning, the IDF announced the killing of Ibrahim Abu-Maghsib in an IAF airstrike. Maghsib, the head of Hamas’ Anti-Tank Missile Unit in the Central Camps Brigade, directed and carried out numerous anti-tank missile launches directed at Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.
The airstrike was carried out based on intelligence from Shin Bet and the IDF intelligence units.
IDF forces also called in a strike from Israeli naval units against anti-tank missile launching posts and units.
Israeli news site Maariv reported that a restaurant in Gaza City which was believed to be used by terrorists, was bulldozed. A group of Hamas terrorists burst out of a tunnel at the site and began fighting the soldiers. All of the terrorists were eliminated.
The article also noted that the IDF does not believe Hamas’ presence in northern Gaza is close to defeat.
Despite the already vast destruction of the urban areas in the northern Gaza Strip, there are still many tunnels that have not been identified or demolished.
IDF combat engineers are currently working to expose and destroy Hamas terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including tunnels. Water and oxygen storage discovered inside the tunnels indicates Hamas' preparations for prolonged stays underground.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 9, 2023
130 tunnel entrances have been… pic.twitter.com/McuxQHc1b2
Hamas is also known to have a significant presence under hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip, such as Shifa Hospital, Al-Quds Hospital, and the Indonesian Hospital.
The IDF is reportedly not yet willing to engage terrorists operating in those areas but may be waiting for more field hospitals to be established, including those operated by the United Arab Emirates, France and Italy. The IDF may also be waiting for the release of more evidence demonstrating Hamas’ use of the facilities for combat and terror purposes.
Israel has so far resisted calls for a humanitarian ceasefire.
Knesset Member Zvika Fogel of the Jewish Power party said in an interview with Kan Reshet Bet radio: “Hamas leaders have lost control; any truce will give them back some control and could cost us lives. The IDF must determine where and how much there will be a ceasefire.”
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
