The Israel
Defence Forces (IDF) is moving to “full offence” against Hamas targets as the
counter-offensive in the wake of the terror attacks rages on, said Israeli
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday as reported by the Times of Israel.
In an
address to troops deployed along the Gaza border, the Israeli Defence Minister
said, “I have released all the restraints. We have (regained) control of the
area and we are moving to a full offence.”
He
asserted that Gaza will “never go back to what it was”.
“You will
have the ability to change the reality here. You have seen the prices (being
paid), and you will get to see the change. Hamas wanted a change in Gaza; it
will change 180 degrees from what it thought,” the Times of Israel quoted the
minister as saying in a report.
“They will
regret this moment, Gaza will never go back to what it was,” said the Defence Minister,
adding that Israel, with all its might and, without compromise, would eliminate
“whoever comes to decapitate, murder women, Holocaust survivors”.
Hinting at
the ongoing counter-offensive continuing for several months, he added, “We will
return here, to Be’eri, in a few months, and the situation will be different. We
will resettle the kibbutz until its last meter.”
After
Gallant’s address, the top spokesperson for Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), Rear
Admiral Daniel Hagari, said killing senior Hamas members was a top priority.
Informing
that the troops were still looking for Hamas terrorists in southern Israel
after the multi-pronged terror attacks on Saturday morning, Hagari added, “The
directive to the forces is clear. Find terrorists and destroy them.”
“We are
making a strong defence on the border. There were infiltration attempts today,
but the terrorists were eliminated before they reached the fence,” he added.
The bodies
of 103 terrorists were found in Kibbutz Be’eri, he said, adding that Hamas
gunmen murdered more than 100 Israelis in Kibbutz.
Meanwhile,
as part of the ongoing counter-offensive against Hamas, dozens of Israeli Air
Force fighters struck over 200 targets in the Al-Furqan neighbourhood, a spot
from which Hamas launches attacks, according to a report.
In a post
shared on X, IDF stated, “Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck over
200 targets in the Al-Furqan neighbourhood – a terrorist hotspot from which
Hamas devises and executes their attacks. This is the 3rd counterstrike in the
area during the last 24 hours, in which 450 targets were struck.”
It added
that dozens of fighter jets hit over 70 targets through Darje Tupah in Gaza on
Tuesday night.
“Dozens of
IAF fighter jets attacked more than 70 targets throughout Darje Tupah in Gaza
tonight. The Darje Tupah area serves as a terrorist nest for the terrorist
organization Hamas and from where many activities against Israel are carried
out,” the Israeli Air Force posted on X.
It added
that it will continue to act powerfully against the terror infrastructure,
which enables Hamas to plot and execute attacks on Israel.
Meanwhile,
the IDF also confirmed that the first plane carrying US armaments arrived at
the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel on Wednesday. It added that cooperation
between the two militaries is a key part of ensuring regional security and
stability in times of war.
The
Israeli security forces also bombed the house of the father of Mohammed Deif,
the head of Hamas’s military wing believed to be the key plotter of the terror
attacks, The Times of Israel reported.
As the war
against Hamas entered its fifth day, the toll from the rocket and ambush
attacks by the terror outfit in Israel mounted to over 1,200, with more than
2,700 injured and 50 confirmed to have been taken hostage or missing, the IDF
stated.
It added
that over 4,500 rockets have been fired from Gaza, so far.
On the
other side, over 770 Palestinians have also been killed in air raids by the
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), The Health Ministry in Gaza said, adding that
another 4,000 have been wounded in the ongoing counter-offensive.
Among the
dead are 140 children and 120 women, the ministry spokesperson said.
ANI
