MOSCOW, July 9 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for day, eliminated dozens of fighters of the Palestinian Hamas movement and seized many weapons in Gaza City, the army press service reported on Tuesday.
On Monday, before the start of another operation, the Israeli military called on residents of several areas of Gaza City to evacuate to a humanitarian zone in the Deir al-Balah area in the center of the Palestinian enclave.
«IDF soldiers continue counter-terrorism operations in Gaza City, having received intelligence about the presence of Hamas and Islamic Jihad infrastructure in the area. The army eliminated dozens of terrorists and discovered numerous weapons in the area,» the report said.
The press service added that IDF forces continue to conduct military operations against Hamas in the Shujaiyya areas in the north of the enclave, in Rafah in the south and in the central regions of the Gaza Strip.
In the northern enclave in the Shujaiya area, the army killed several Hamas fighters and found weapons including sniper equipment, RPGs, grenades and AK-47s. Hamas infrastructure and tunnels were also destroyed.
In the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF, backed by the Israeli Air Force, killed dozens of Palestinian fighters in close combat and airstrikes.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. After this, fighters from the Palestinian Hamas movement entered the border areas, opened fire on military and civilians, and took more than 200 hostages. According to authorities, about 1.2 thousand people died.
The Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords in the Gaza Strip, which includes attacks on civilian targets. Israel announced a complete blockade of the enclave: supplies of water, electricity, fuel, food and medicine were stopped. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the death toll in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has exceeded 38 thousand, and more than 87.4 thousand people have been injured. The Gaza Strip has effectively been divided into southern and northern parts, and Israel is preparing for a ground operation in Rafah, which is considered the last stronghold of Hamas.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to Moscow's position, a settlement is possible only on the basis of a formula approved by the UN Security Council with the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.