The 59th day of the Swords of Iron War and against the background of one of the most difficult days in the war, when the IDF announced the death of seven fighters who fell in the battles and the IDF spokesperson in a statement to the media: "We have attacked 20,000 targets since the beginning of the war, the introduction of fuel is to enable humanitarian existence of the population we moved from the north of the Gaza Strip."
IDF spokesman: "Two central divisions in Gaza - Gaza and Khan Yunis, IDF forces operate against these two sectors. When our forces move in the field, terrorists come forward and there are incidents. We eliminate the terrorists. We prefer to purge from the air, but when there are incidents - we fight. We have attacked 20,000 targets since the beginning of the war. 138 male and female abductees are still being held in Gaza. One of the missing was defined as an abductee today."
The IDF spokesman continued: "We are exposed to testimonies as well as videos. These are the heroes of Israel who behaved with courage and heroism in the face of vile terrorists who took women and children to Gaza." To a question about the situation of the women in captivity, he answered: "We need to behave with great sensitivity. It is not responsible to talk about any information that is not accurate. We gather intelligence around the clock and our goal is to bring the abductees home. We are exerting international pressure to bring them home."
About the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying that Israel has 3 more weeks to go to war. The IDF spokesman replied: "We are operating in Khan Yunis, although it is difficult both because of the presence of civilians and because of the center of gravity of Hamas. And this goes hand in hand with humanitarian efforts. We have proven that we have the ability to wage war for a long time." Regarding the seven fighters announced today who fell in the battles, he said: "The seven dead are spread over several days of fighting. We just informed the families today. There are a large number of dead, because we are spread over 4 combat sectors in the field. And there are many encounters."
To a question about the fuel entering the Gaza Strip, he answered: "We are bringing fuel into the Gaza Strip in order to enable the humanitarian existence of the population we have moved from the north of the Gaza Strip. It is intended for water pumps, water installations, sewage, and the UNRWA aid trucks that bring aid from Egypt. We monitor it and it allows us to continue the fighting."
