The IDF on Monday announced the completion of a 10-day operation against Hamas in the Hamad area of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. The operation resulted in the arrest of around 300 Hamas terrorists and the killing of between 70-100, according to the IDF.

Egoz and Maglan’s special forces were at the forefront of much of the operations, which took over 120 buildings, most of which were seven floors high. The IDF described complex fighting against Hamas, which required attacking from multiple angles and using a variety of technologies, aerial support, artillery, and tank support.

The fighting was intense, with some incidents involving extremely close-quarters combat. An IDF special forces soldier was killed, and several others were wounded when they were hit almost point-blank by a rocket-propelled grenade. In another instance, Hamas forces used their own family as human shields, forcing IDF special forces to alter their tactics to try to kill the terrorists without harming their minor-age children stuck in the crossfire.

Despite the challenges, the IDF viewed the Hamad operation as a success. However, the military acknowledged that it has had to return to areas where it previously cleared continually and could not predict how long it would take to break the remainder of Hamas’s forces truly. The fight with Hamas is expected to be a long haul.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)