Israel Air Force jets attack Hamas operatives, destroy military posts

TEL AVIV: As Israel's counter-offensive on Hamas entered its seventh day, Israeli Air Force has said that Air Force fighter jets attacked operatives of the terrorist group Hamas and destroyed its military posts.

In a post shared on X, Israeli Air Force stated, "Air Force fighter jets attacked operatives of the terrorist organization Hamas and destroyed the organization's military posts."

Israeli Air Force said that the fighter jets targeted houses that were used by operatives of Hamas, including the residence of a "Nakhba" (naval commando operative). Furthermore, Israeli Air Force revealed that the warplanes attacked a monitoring center of Hamas, which used to monitor the activities of Israeli forces.

Taking to X, Israeli Air Force stated, "IAF fighter jets struck five residences operationally used by Hamas terror operatives, including the residence of a "Nukhba" (Naval Commando) operative, a terror operative of the "resistance committee", and an additional Hamas operations residence, where Yahya Sinwar's brother was presumably present."

"IAF fighter jets also struck a Hamas monitoring situation room that monitored and traced IAF activity. As part of the strike, two terror operatives were targeted in the situation room," it added.

In a post shared on X, Israeli Air Force stated that their personnel continue to fight with determination and courage. It said, "The Israeli Air Force personnel, regular and reserve, fight with determination, courage and vigour. Maintain high readiness in all units and in all sectors, in defence and attack, until peace is achieved to all of Israel's citizens."

In an update posted on X, Israeli Defence Forces said that the Flotilla 13 elite unit deployed to the area surrounding the Gaza security fence rescued around 250 hostages alive and more than 60 terrorists were neutralized.

In a post shared on X, Israeli Defence Forces stated, "The Flotilla 13 elite unit was deployed to the area surrounding the Gaza security fence in a joint effort to regain control of the Sufa military post on October 7th. The soldiers rescued around 250 hostages alive. 60+ Hamas terrorists were neutralized and 26 were apprehended--including Muhammad Abu A'ali the Deputy Commander of the Hamas southern Naval Division."

A United Nations spokesperson said that the Israeli Defence Forces on Friday notified the UN that the entire Palestinian population north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within 24 hours, The Times of Israel reported.

The UN spokesperson's statement indicated that the IDF could be readying to launch a ground invasion six days after Hamas's attack on Saturday, according to the report.

In a statement, the UN spokesperson said that roughly 1.1 million Palestinians live north of Wadi Gaza. The warning also comes for the UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities in those areas.

"The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences," the spokesperson said, according to The Times of Israel report.

"The United Nations strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation," the spokesperson added.

According to the UN spokesperson, the liaison officers in the IDF notified the team leaders of the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the UN's Department of Safety and Security in Gaza, The Times of Israel reported.

It is pertinent to note here that Israel has ordered a "complete siege" on Gaza, which includes shutting off water, electricity and gas supply and closing its own border crossings into the enclave.