In the early hours of Sunday, Israeli forces deployed tanks into the eastern Jabalia area of the northern Gaza Strip, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup. This move followed a night of intense aerial and ground bombardments by Israel. According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the operation aimed to disrupt Hamas' efforts to regroup and rebuild its military capabilities in that region over recent weeks.
Elsewhere in northern Gaza, Israeli forces crossed fire with Hamas terrorists in Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun, and Zeitoun. Some residents said Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were fighting Israeli ground forces with anti-tank rockets, mortar bombs, and sniper fire.
As stated by government spokesperson David Mencer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet convened to deliberate on strategies "to destroy the last vestiges, the last quarter of Hamas' battalions, in Rafah and elsewhere." However, Mencer did not disclose whether the classified forum might authorize a ground operation in Rafah or provide a timeline for such a decision.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 19 were killed and dozens were wounded in the incursion in Jabalia. The Hamas-controlled ministry has been notorious for inflating the death toll in the current conflict.
