IDF spokesman Brigadier General Hidai Zilberman announced on Thursday that “Last night showed the deepening of our achievement and the appearance of first cracks on the other side. We recognize that the Gaza public is beginning to lose its patience, and identify their difficulties in advancing their action outlines.”
The spokesman also revealed that the IDF has, at this stage, attacked more than 600 terrorist targets.
“We attacked and destroyed most of the production line of Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” Zilberman stated.
“Yesterday was the day when Hamas realized it was not succeeding, and the momentum began to change,” Zilberman stated. “Gaza is not an optimistic place to be. Hamas was surprised by the intensity of the IDF attack and cracks in its management are becoming visible.”
The IDF has laid out armored units alongside the Gaza Strip border, with Merkava tanks, Tiger armored personnel carriers, and advanced armored fighting vehicles. The 402nd Battalion has already fired 350 shells at the Gaza Strip and is ready to continue.
The IDF command’s task force has completed plan approvals at the brigade level, including a variety of maneuvering outlines into the Gaza Strip. Several different combat procedures are being considered. Zilberman announced that on Thursday ground entry plans would be approved at the General Staff Forum, after being approved by the division and command echelons. Ground entry is an option, according to the spokesman. Once various entry plans have been approved, the forces will be ready for instructions from the cabinet if and when it decides on an incursion.
The IDF spokesman revealed that so far about ten senior terrorist officials and a total of between 50 and 60 other terrorist operatives have been killed. “The main assets we are attacking in the new bank of targets are government facilities,” Zilberman explained. “The goal is to take care of every building and institution of Hamas, to harm government institutions like the banks, internal security institutions, and the police.”
During the night, seven different targets of this type were attacked, according to Zilberman, who noted that, among other things, the office of the head of internal security in Gaza and five other internal security targets had been attacked.
In addition, senior commanders’ homes, a terrorist cell, a tunnel in the compound of one of the homes, and launch pits were attacked. In addition, an administrative tunnel inside a school was destroyed. And the attacks on the launch pits and production sites continue.
“We have a very high success rate in destroying the rocket production system of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad,” the IDF spokesman said. “We have a continuous and ongoing attacks schedule that’s being carried out every day. We intend to continue to deal with every launching pit and every launcher that we know exists and to eliminate terrorist operatives in the Gaza Strip. We maintain ground and air defense, and learn from all our activities for the future.”