A senior Israeli official said on Thursday that "Hamas has been dealt a major blow," and warned that terrorists were putting innocent civilians in harm's way.
"The people in the Gaza Strip are afraid to go out of their homes because of our attacks and because Hamas' rocket fire ends up hitting them," the official said, while noting that the operation has so far been using more firepower than Operation Protective Edge in 2014. "Hamas did not expect our forceful response, and when they emerge from their hiding places they will realize the sheer power that has been used." According to the official, the actual figure of Hamas operatives who have been killed or injured is might higher than what has been reported. The official further said that the amount of fuel has been drastically reduced, and this has had an impact on Hamas' overall strength.
The Israel Defense Forces killed dozens of Hamas terrorists in an attack in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday in what was a special airstrike conducted on the fourth day of Operation GUardian of the Walls. Palestinian media said 4 were killed, including one child.
The airstrike followed another bombardment on a high-value Hamas target: the organization's intelligence headquarters.
In another development, the IDF successfully downed an explosive-laden drone that had entered Israeli territory using "soft" means. This is the fourth time a drone breaches Israeli territory in these hostilities.
One of them was downed by an Iron Dome interceptor, marking the first time the Israeli-US system – usually meant for projectiles – downs an aerial vehicle.
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