Day 78 – IDF sets trap, kills dozens Hamas terrorists during mopping up operations in northern Gaza

Israeli forces continued mopping up operations in northern Gaza over the weekend while deepening operations in the Strip’s central and southern parts.

Residents of the al-Bureij area in central Gaza were called to move south by the IDF, as the Israeli army is expected to intensify its operations in the southern areas after largely securing the fighting hotspots in Gaza City.

The IDF has declared it has almost totally secured the northern Gaza Strip but is continuing less intensive search operations to find remaining terror cells and their infrastructures.

In southern Gaza, the IDF announced another 4-hour humanitarian pause in the western part of Rafah to allow for humanitarian aid supplies and warned residents of Khan Younis to avoid certain areas due to intensive fighting in the area.

Over the past week, more than 200 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operatives were arrested or surrendered, the IDF and Shin Bet announced. Over 700 terrorists have been arrested for questioning since the start of the ground operation.

On Saturday, a trap set by Israeli forces resulted in the elimination of dozens of Hamas terrorists in one airstrike.

During operations of the 11th Reserve Commando Brigade battlegroup in Gaza City, soldiers fired at several terrorists which cause them to flee to a building being used as a command post.

When the ground troops identified the terrorists had fled into the building, they called in a fighter jet which destroyed the building, killing dozens of terrorists with one hit.

In addition, forces of the 11th Brigade battlegroup eliminated another terror cell by launching an airstrike and identified numerous Hamas military sites that were subsequently destroyed.

The IDF announced that Hassan Atrash, who was an important financier and smuggler for Hamas, was eliminated in a targeted airstrike in Rafah on Friday.

Atrash dealt with weapons trade, production, and supply for the Hamas military wing and was also involved in weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

On Saturday, Hamas terrorists resumed firing rockets at Israeli communities near the Gaza border, after almost 48 hours of silence since Thursday noon.

The IDF announced the deaths of five additional Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, bringing the overall death toll to 144.