Sources in the IDF tell of the fierce battles that are taking place in the heart of the Gaza Strip, and say that they have gained control over the Shati camp, facilities and strategic headquarters of Hamas, and about the proximity to the Shifa hospital under which the main Hamas headquarters is located, "we can see it".
The IDF continues to rush forward inside Gaza and the battles continue, according to the commanders in the area, the IDF continues to dismantle Hamas' defenses and bite step by step into the critical infrastructures that the organization built in the last fifteen years since Operation Cast Lead.
According to the commanders, the center of activity is now led by the infantry brigades and the maneuvering forces in the heart of Gaza City. According to the commanders in the field, operational control was achieved over the Shati refugee camp, a camp that is considered the center and heart of Hamas's military activity. The forces on the ground say that even during the fighting they ensured the evacuation of between 150 and 200 thousand Gazan citizens from the area and that they found that every second house in the camp is rigged with explosives or is used as a weapons center.
The forces in Shatti report that they have killed hundreds of terrorists during clashes in recent days, if not more, and that they have managed to decipher the Hamas markings for booby-trapped houses and escape from them. Beyond that they note that in dealing with the Hamas tunnels and the underground infrastructure hidden in the fighting area that they have a series of means to deal with the underground system and the fact that entering soldiers into a shaft is the last option used. So far they have not had to use soldiers to clear tunnels.
The forces define the current phase as the "purification phase" a phase in which the center of Hamas' fighting power in the camp was broken, but the arena is not yet free of threats. As part of the purification process, dozens of buildings in the camp were destroyed by the forces and with the cooperation of the Air Force, which assists them continuously and critically. The forces point to the limited scope of shooting at Israel in recent days as proof of the severe damage to Hamas' capabilities and the chaos in which the organization is operating.
Now the forces are preparing for the next challenges. In preparation for the next stages and the continuation of the operation, the IDF opened a direct route to Camp Shati, through which hundreds of trucks of combat equipment enter every day, and also in preparation for the duration of the operation, winter equipment.
The forces did not directly refer to the possibility of a ceasefire and explained that this is an incident and a decision reserved for the political level, and that when they receive an order they will analyze the situation in accordance with the order.