Israel intensifies operations on Gaza City outskirts ahead of planned offensive VIDEO

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to advance ground operations on the outskirts of Gaza City in preparation for a broader offensive aimed at seizing control of the northern Gaza Strip and dismantling remaining Hamas strongholds within the enclave.

Units from the 99th Division have been actively targeting Hamas infrastructure both above and below ground, Caliber.Az reports, citing Israeli media.

Over the past 24 hours, these forces successfully destroyed several observation posts that posed significant threats to Israeli troops. Concurrently, the 162nd Division has been engaged in intense combat in Jabalia and the outskirts of Gaza City, working to neutralize terror operatives and disrupt their organizational networks.

In southern Gaza, the 36th Division continues its operations in the Khan Younis area, where ground forces—supported by aerial strikes—have eliminated several militants and demolished additional Hamas infrastructure.

Separately, an Israeli Air Force strike, carried out under the guidance of the Military Intelligence Directorate and Shin Bet, targeted and killed Mahmoud al-Asoud, the commander of Hamas’s General Security Apparatus in western Gaza. The IDF emphasized al-Asoud’s pivotal role within Hamas’s security framework, both during the current conflict and in previous years.

The Israeli navy, directing air force strikes, also targeted and destroyed a naval weapons warehouse and a repair facility for Hamas’s maritime armaments in Khan Younis, further degrading the group’s military capabilities.

By Vafa Guliyeva