Israeli forces capture Hamas stronghold in Gaza, attack more targets

Israel Defense Forces operating deep inside Gaza said they captured a Hamas compound housing observation posts, training facilities and underground “terror” tunnels, killing several of the group’s fighter’s battles overnight.

Troops took the compound at the end of a day of intense offensive action in which Israeli forces struck targets from the air, sea and land, which it said killed several Hamas commanders, including Jamal Mussa who the IDF said was responsible for the organization’s special security operations.

Mussa was killed in one of more than 450 airstrikes by IDF fighter jets on Hamas tunnels, terrorists, military compounds, observation posts, anti-tank missile launch posts and other targets.

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IDF naval assets hit Hamas command centers, anti-tank launch posts and additional observation posts while IDF soldiers engaged in ground battles in which Hamas battalion commanders were subsequently killed.

The IDF said the actions were all intelligence-led, based on information from the Israel Securities Authority and its own intelligence gathering.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that the death toll had risen to 10,022, including, 4,104 children, since the start of the fighting that followed an Oct. 7 surprise attack by Hamas that killed 1,400 people in Israel.

The health ministry said Monday that eight Palestinians had been killed in attacks on a pair of hospitals in Gaza City.

Following 24 hours of consistent attacks, Israel announced another four-hour pause in the fighting Monday morning to allow civilians to safely evacuate to the southern end of Gaza.

“Today the IDF will once again allow passage on the Salah al-Din Road [linking the north of the strip with the south] between 10:00 a.m and 2:00 p.m.,” IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on X.

“For your safety, take this next opportunity to move south beyond Wadi Gaza. If you care about yourself and your loved ones, head south according to our instructions.”

Meanwhile, the Jordanian Air Force successfully completed an airdrop of badly needed medical supplies Sunday night to its field hospital in Gaza.

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“This is our duty to help the wounded and injured who are suffering as a result of the war on Gaza. Jordan will remain the supporter and closest supporter of our Palestinian brothers,” King Abdullah II posted on X, along with photos of crates draped with the Jordanian flag being loaded onto a military transport aircraft.