The IDF has announced that three officers have been killed in heavy fighting in the western part of Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip. The three officers are: Major David Nati Alfasi, 27, from Beersheva, deputy brigade commander of the 202nd paratrooper brigade; Major Ilay Levy, 24, from Tel Aviv, a company commander in the the 202nd paratrooper brigade; and Captain Eyal Mevorach Twito, 22, from Beit Gamliel, a platoon commander in the 202nd paratrooper brigade.
Over the past day, the IDF spokesperson said that four divisions - commandos, paratroopers, the seventh division, and Givati - had begun a combined assault on West Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli forces had encircled the Khan Younis refugee camp from the west and begun maneuvers within the camp. According to the IDF, the combined assault will continue for several days and will include raids and other military operations, aimed at dismantling the military framework of Hamas in the region.
Before the ground attack, a number of Israel Air Force combat planes flew over the area. Since the morning, more than 50 terrorists have been killed in the area, including a company commander who planned to carry out a number of terrorist attacks against IDF forces.
West Khan Yunis is a sensitive area, which has many humanitarian havens, hospitals and other sensitive sites. The IDF is preparing for "de-legitimization traps" that Hamas has prepared, so that it can say that the IDF is harming innocent civilians and hospital patients.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 22, 2024.
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