The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have initiated the third phase of their ground operation in the Gaza sector, according to IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. The announcement was made through the army’s official Telegram channel.
“After 60 days since the start of the war, our forces have surrounded the Khan Yunis area in the southern part of the Gaza sector,” he stated.
Khan Yunis is the largest city in the southern Gaza sector.
Eisenkot also mentioned that the IDF is simultaneously consolidating positions in the northern part of the Gaza sector.
“In the past few days, many Hamas militants, including senior commanders, have been eliminated. We have now entered the third phase of the ground operations,” he added.
Prior to this, the IDF had announced that troops had reached the center of Khan Yunis.
On December 1st, the IDF reported that Hamas had targeted over 200 locations in the Gaza sector after 7:00 AM Moscow time. It was also stated that Israeli authorities are considering the possibility of flooding the underground tunnel system, which Israeli military officials believe is being used by Hamas fighters, with seawater.
Earlier, the methods employed by Israel in their fight against Hamas were criticized in the British Parliament.
