Israel Hits 150 High-Value Hamas Targets!

By
Mark Stevens
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In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a major military operation in northern Gaza on Friday night, aiming to dismantle Hamas’s extensive underground tunnel network and strike high-value targets within the Palestinian group. The operation followed two weeks of warnings to civilians to evacuate the area in preparation for the assault.

The IDF reported that the operation was intended to permanently eradicate Hamas, a Palestinian organization designated as a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, Canada, the European Union, and others. Israel’s decision to initiate the operation came in response to Hamas’s history of violence, which includes acts of terrorism against Israelis, such as the killing of more than 1,400 people, wounding over 5,200, and the kidnapping of more than 200 individuals.

The IDF targeted around 150 underground sites within Hamas’s vast tunnel network. These underground tunnels serve as a crucial infrastructure for Hamas, allowing its members to meet, organize, and move undetected throughout Gaza. Additionally, these tunnels were used to store weapons, ammunition, and other military supplies. The use of hardwired landlines by Hamas allowed them to communicate without being intercepted by Israeli intelligence while planning attacks, including the October 7 assault.

In a statement, the IDF confirmed that the operation resulted in the elimination of multiple Hamas terrorists and the destruction of the combat tunnels, underground facilities, and other subterranean terrorist infrastructure. Furthermore, high-value targets within Hamas’s leadership were also killed in the strikes. Among them was Asem Abu Rakaba, the head of Hamas’s Aerial Array. He was responsible for overseeing Hamas’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, paragliders, aerial detection, and defense. Abu Rakaba was implicated in planning the October 7 attack and commanded the terrorists who infiltrated Israel on paragliders, in addition to coordinating drone attacks on IDF posts.

The IDF commander in charge of the operation emphasized the intensity of the assault, stating, “We are using fire that has never been seen before in the Gaza Strip.” This operation underscores the Israeli government’s determination to target key figures and infrastructures within Hamas as part of its broader efforts to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.

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