The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Friday (August 30th) the end of a three-week military operation in southern Gaza. On the same day, as Israeli attacks in the West Bank entered the third day, a local Hamas commander was killed in retaliation.
According to the Israel Times, the Israeli military stated that during the military operation in southern Gaza, they destroyed tunnels used by Hamas militants, eliminated over 250 gunmen, and discovered the bodies of six hostages.
This mission took place in the outskirts of Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah regions, launched by the Israeli 98th Brigade at the beginning of August. IDF mentioned that the brigade withdrew from Gaza earlier on Friday and is preparing for future operations.
This marked IDF’s third incursion into the area since earlier this year when they launched their first ground attack on Khan Younis. The focus of the latest operation was to locate the bodies of hostages and destroy Hamas infrastructure based on new intelligence.
The military reported that within some tunnels, Israeli forces killed gunmen, found areas where terrorists resided, and uncovered weapons. Israeli forces not only destroyed Hamas tunnels and ground infrastructure but also found weapons, rocket launchers, and intelligence data at Hamas “central” outpost in Deir al-Balah region.
On Friday, IDF also announced that in a major operation carried out in the West Bank, a Hamas local commander Wissam Khazem was killed in Jenin city.
Khazem was found inside a car and was killed during clashes with Israeli forces. Two other Hamas militants in the car were also killed by drones while attempting to flee. IDF stated that both men belonged to Hamas, “operated under Khazem’s command, and were involved in shooting incidents against Israeli communities.”
Israeli forces found weapons, explosives, and a large amount of cash inside the car.
According to Reuters, Hamas confirmed the deaths of these three individuals, stating they were members of its “Kassem Brigade” armed group.
During this incident, the Israeli military continued its large-scale operation in the West Bank region, with hundreds of soldiers and police launching operations in Jenin, Tulkarm, and the Jordan Valley early on Wednesday (August 28th).
On Friday, Israeli armored personnel carriers advanced into Jenin and Tulkarm with support from helicopters and drones, while armored bulldozers cleared the way and destroyed roadside bombs planted by armed groups.