The Israeli military is advancing in southern Gaza, notably in the Khan Younis area, army spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Tuesday, APA reports.
"We added a whole brigade and further forces to operate in the area, engineering forces to improve such activity," he said.
Khan Younis has seen intense combat on the ground and heavy airstrikes, with dozens of people reported killed. Last week, the IDF called on residents to move from parts of Khan Younis, the second largest city in Gaza, to displacement shelters to “ensure safety.” But with communications disrupted by the fighting, it is not clear how widely the messages were received.
Hagari also said that the Israel Defense Forces is focusing on locating underground infrastructures used by Hamas.
"Deconstruction of Hamas’s underground center of gravity in the northern, central and southern (Gaza Strip) is a key step to dismantle Hamas. This is taking time, and our forces are operating to do so," he said
The army spokesman also stressed that troops on the ground in Gaza were briefed on how to search for living hostages.
"The IDF is using special forces and intelligence to locate living hostages. This is a supreme mission," Hagari said. It comes as pressure mounts on Israel after the IDF said Friday it accidentally killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza after misidentifying them as a threat.
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