The IDF says that the combined infantry-armored raid into the northern Gaza Strip was a successful command and control test.
We originally reported that Division 162 infiltrated the area last night which was once the settlement of Dugit in the northern Gaza Strip. The forces advanced a kilometer into Palestinian territory and then left. The goal of the raid was a successful test of intelligence, tactical, and combat capabilities. During the raid, the forces encountered no Hamas terrorists and there were no casualties.
The experiment is considered a “wet” exercise of the expected ground maneuver into Gaza. Obviously in real time, the forces will actually encounter terrorists, but this is a signal to the tens of thousands of soldiers around Gaza of the intent to push forward the moment the political leadership gives the go ahead.
So far, local raids around the Strip have been conducted, mostly to search for the missing or the body parts of those killed in the Simchat Torah Massacre. In one of the raids, terrorists fired an anti-tank missile and killed a heavy mechanical equipment operator. But the other moves into Gazan territory passed more or less quietly.
Targeted Now: Rocket Firing Squads
In the afternoon, the IDF allowed it to be reported that the army had eliminated the northern head of the Hamas rocket network in Khan Yunis, as part of a series of IDF efforts to reduce the rocket threat to the IDF assembly areas, a threat which took the lives of many during Operation Protective Edge. Alongside the junior and operational side of the rocket fire, Hamas leaders are also being targeted, and the moment there is identifying information, an aircraft goes in for the kill.
Another goal of the maneuver is the breaking of Hamas’ will to fight, regardless of the state of the captives. It was also meant to send a message to Hezbollah, that the IDF can also move into the north. The aim is also to prevent the introduction of weapons into the Strip and neutralize the tunnels.
All the soldiers are presently training and receiving brand new equipment. Most of the equipment shortages have been solved, and the situation in the field from soldiers to senior officers is of a coiled spring waiting to be launched.
The IDF fears the political leadership will stop the operation, and they are also keeping constant watch on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, for fear of international pressure for a ceasefire. The thing which is putting the most pressure on Hamas is the declining fuel stores. The IDF is allowing food and medicine into the strip, but not fuel tankers, and reserves are running out.
In the north, the IDF says it has the initiative, as it is systematically taking out anti-tank and rocket squads sent by Hezbollah, taking care to not stray from the conflict zone and give Hezbollah reasons to launch a general conflict. There are sufficient divisions concentrated in the north for a ground maneuver, such that the IDF is preparing for a strong defense and exacting a heavy cost from Hezbollah’s elite units, who are suffering personal losses as well as observational and control systems set up on the border fence.
