The IDF launched new ground operations early Friday in the outskirts of Gaza City’s Shijaiyah neighborhood, amid growing pressure on Hamas to advance stalled negotiations over the release of 59 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
The IDF said the goal of the latest operation is to deepen control and expand the security buffer zone in the area.
According to Palestinian reports, Israeli artillery shelled the Shijaiyah and Zeitoun neighborhoods overnight. Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV also reported the entry of IDF vehicles east of Shijaiyah, near Kibbutz Nahal Oz on the Israeli side of the border.
The IDF confirmed that troops have so far killed several Hamas operatives and destroyed terrorist infrastructure, including a command-and-control compound used to plan and direct attacks. The military added that it is facilitating civilian evacuation from the combat zone through designated routes.
The IDF has previously operated in Shijaiyah during ground maneuvers following the October 7 Hamas-led assault on southern Israel.
Hamas’ radio station reported Thursday that at least 29 people were killed and over 100 wounded in an Israeli airstrike on the Tuffah neighborhood, northeast of Gaza City. Local sources described heavy bombardments in the area. Hours earlier, the IDF had dropped evacuation leaflets warning residents to leave immediately due to intense combat.
The IDF and Shin Bet said the Tuffah airstrike targeted key Hamas operatives inside a command-and-control center used to coordinate attacks against both Israeli civilians and military forces. They emphasized that prior to the strike, extensive measures were taken to minimize civilian casualties, including the use of precision weaponry, advance warnings, aerial surveillance and intelligence gathering.
Meanwhile, around 8 p.m. Thursday, rocket sirens sounded in Kibbutz Nahal Oz. A rocket launched from Gaza was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, with no injuries or damage reported. Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the launch.
