IDF eliminates 15 Hamas terrorists in northern Gaza Strip

TEL AVIV: Amid the relentless onslaught on Hamas following the October 7 terror attacks, Israeli ground forces eliminated 15 terrorists and destroyed the outfit's infrastructure in Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday.

In the latest engagement between the IDF personnel and Hamas terrorists amid the fierce fighting in Gaza, soldiers from the Armored Corps and Intelligence on Friday confronted 15 terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the report.

The soldiers successfully neutralised several terrorists and destroyed three Hamas observation posts, The Jerusalem Post stated.

Over the past few days, soldiers from the Armored Corps and Intelligence, under the command of Division 460, in the northern Gaza Strip, faced attempted strikes through tunnel systems and Hamas military facilities, the IDF informed on Saturday morning.

The IDF forces took decisive action to eliminate terrorists active in the area, exposed tunnel entrances used for terrorist purposes, and identified the organisation's means of warfare, The Jerusalem Post reported.

In a separate operation in the southern Gaza Strip, Engineering and Reconnaissance forces, under the command of the Gaza Division, executed a building mapping exercise and safely neutralised explosive devices.

During this operation, the forces encountered a group of terrorists emerging from a tunnel entrance, the report stated, adding that the soldiers, in response, launched missiles, effectively eliminating the threat.

Earlier, on Friday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel against launching attacks on Lebanon, saying any further strikes on its territory would be a "foolish mistake", The Times of Israel reported.

He also said that a victory for Hamas in Gaza against Israel would be a victory for Palestinians and not for Iran and the Muslim community, The Times of Israel reported, adding that he described supporting Hamas in the ongoing fight against Israel as its 'duty'.

"A victory for Gaza against Israel will not be a victory for Iran or the Muslim Brotherhood, it will be first and foremost a patriotic victory for Palestinians, but also for Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is therefore our duty to support Hamas in Gaza," Nasrallah said.

According to the Israeli daily, the Hezbollah chief also urged Arab countries to halt oil exports to Israel and hailed his outfit's military actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, boasting that their offensive has drawn IDF forces away from the war against Hamas, adding that "this is not the end."