The Israeli army gains a foothold in the north of Gaza City and shifts the focus of the campaign to the south.
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The Wall Street Journal writes that this will be the most difficult stage of the six-week war, since many Hamas fighters have fled to the south. The south of the Gaza Strip is more densely built up. There are also a lot of civilians there, some of whom were evacuated from the north.
Israeli officials say the army has no choice but to rush into the southern and central Gaza Strip if it wants to completely destroy Hamas.
OPERATIONAL ALERT: IDF and ISA fragments have been increased to 55 meters lottery tunnel, 10 meters near Shifa Hospital complex on an intellectual basis.
The tunnel entrance contains various defense mechanisms, such as a blast-proof door and a firing… pic.twitter.com/tU4J6BD4ZG
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 19, 2023
BILD military observer Julian Repke also reported on November 20 that the Israeli army is rapidly advancing in the Gaza Strip.
Within weeks, the IDF was able to take control of almost a third of the northern Gaza Strip, including Hamas control centers and other critical locations.
While the fighting is taking place almost in the center of Gaza City, terrorists have to defend themselves simultaneously in all directions. Many blocks of the city, which was home to 650 thousand people before the outbreak of hostilities, are now in the hands of the Israeli military.
Military analysts believe that the secret to the success of the Israeli ground operation is suddenness.
Hamas has been preparing for years to counter the Israeli offensive from the east. But Israel has moved along the coast and is now attacking Hamas from the west, military expert Thomas Thaner wrote on Twitter.
In other words, instead of attacking Hamas’ strong defenses, the IDF cut the enclave in two and sealed off Gaza for several days. Due to the fact that the Israeli army made a diversionary maneuver instead of attacking Gaza, the Hamas militants were taken by surprise.
Currently, about 80% of the territory of Gaza City remains under the control of Hamas, but militarily the situation is hopeless for terrorists. So far, 56 Israeli soldiers have died in the battles for Chektor Gaza, while the number of militants killed, according to some estimates, is 80 times higher.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.