Fighting continues in central and southern Gaza, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to encounter resistance from units of Hamas fighters, despite a recent assessment by the Israeli government that the “intense phase” of the ground offensive is drawing to a close. The IDF will now switch to conducting raids, according to military sources posting on social media. This will mean keeping two divisions in Gaza.
One of the key operations that the IDF now envisages will be finding and destroying the remaining tunnels through which Hamas fighters continue to be supplied with arms and ammunition from Egypt. It is estimated this could take several months to achieve.
Meanwhile, speaking to Israeli television on June 23, Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said units would redeploy to Israel’s border with Lebanon to confront Hezbollah. Exchanges of fire with the Iran-backed militant group have become more and more intense in recent weeks.
