The IDF’s broader invasion of Gaza with five divisions continued to proceed on Wednesday, but reports of its progress remained vague.
So far, a couple of hundred terrorists have been killed by this broader invasion, but a larger number of Gazan civilians have been killed or wounded, according to Palestinian reports.
In contrast, in the early days of the 2023 invasion of northern Gaza, the IDF killed thousands of Hamas fighters and fewer civilians in relative comparative terms.
Hamas has continued to use its civilian population systematically as human shields.
Israel has also lost many soldiers, including one recently, to friendly fire. It is also coping with having to fight in a war zone while also allowing humanitarian aid to pass through after it removed a two-month ban on that aid on Monday.
In terms of specific progress, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) said they had struck more than 115 terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours. Nukhba terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre were killed, they said.
IAF aircraft, guided by Division 162, targeted and killed Muhammad Shahin, a Nukhba terrorist from Hamas’s East Jabalya Battalion, in northern Gaza. Shahin had infiltrated Israeli territory and participated in the October 7 massacre.
The 115 targets in the Gaza Strip included rocket launchers, military buildings, tunnels, terrorist squads, and other infrastructure.
Nevertheless, it remained unclear what real impact the targets would have if they were not substantially setting back Hamas’s current forces, its next level of commanders, or otherwise opening up some clearer way to free the hostages.
Fallen IDF soldier announced
Meanwhile, naval forces, working with ground troops, carried out attacks on terrorist targets in northern Gaza.St.-Sgt. Danilo Mocanu, 20, from Holon, fell in combat in southern Gaza, the IDF said Wednesday.
Mocanu served in the IDF’s 82nd Battalion, part of the 7th Brigade. He was killed when an explosive device detonated, resulting in the collapse of the building in which he was operating, the IDF said.
Late Wednesday, terrorists in northern Gaza fired a rocket toward the Lachish region near the Gaza border. Israeli air defenses, likely the Iron Dome, shot down the rocket in Israeli airspace.
Hamas’s ability to fire rockets at Israel has been minimal since January 2024, but Gazan groups have managed to fire one or two at a time on occasion.
IDF carries out an airstrike
Additionally, the IDF carried out an airstrike on Wednesday in the Tyre area of southern Lebanon, killing Hasin Nazih Baraj. He was an expert in weapons manufacturing who worked in Hezbollah’s research, development, and production division.
This division is responsible for developing, producing, and maintaining weapons, as well as expanding the group’s supply capabilities. It has overseen numerous weapons projects, including the production of precision-guided missiles.
Killing Baraj was intended to disrupt Hezbollah’s efforts to recover after Operation Northern Shield, the IDF said. His activities had violated the agreement between Israel and Lebanon, it said.