IOF withdraw from north, central Gaza; Resistance operations persist
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Israeli occupation forces are withdrawing from several areas in the northern and central Gaza Strip.
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Israeli occupation forces move near the Gaza Strip border in occupied Palestine, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (AP)
In the Gaza Strip, several Israeli occupation forces pulled back from the confrontation axis, according to Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the Strip.
The correspondent reported that the IOF withdrew from areas such as al-Zawaida, al-Nuseirat, al-Karama, al-Tawam, and the Intelligence Towers, located northwest of the northern Gaza Strip. This marks the first time the Israeli occupation forces have withdrawn from areas in central Gaza, including al-Maghazi and al-Bureij refugee camps.
Additionally, Israeli occupation forces withdrew from al-Rashid Street in the western part of the Gaza Strip, as well as from Beit Lahia, Jabalia, and Beit Hanoun in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
The correspondent further continued by stating that "Israeli tanks significantly retreated from the northern and northwestern confrontation axes of the Gaza Strip," adding that citizens were starting to return to their homes in al-Sudaniya and al-Saftawi areas following the Israeli withdrawal.
In a related context, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that fierce confrontations were ongoing in al-Amal neighborhood, with Israeli occupation vehicles firing and shelling the residents in the Khan Younis camp in the southern Gaza Strip. Similarly, confrontations in Gaza City continue.
Palestinian Resistance targets Israeli occupation gatherings
Regarding the field achievements of the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip, the factions have reported multiple operations against occupation forces in the Strip.
Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, announced targeting an Israeli occupation forces group located inside an apartment in the industrial square west of Gaza City with thermobaric rocket-propelled grenades (RPG).
On its part, al-Mujahideen Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, stated that its fighters targeted the Israeli occupation's military command headquarters. Moreover, they targeted an airstrip, located in the "Re'im" settlement in the Gaza Envelope, with a volley of rockets.
As for the Martyr Omar al-Qassem Forces, the spokesperson, Abu Khaled, noted that the group engaged in fierce confrontations with the Israeli occupation forces in various sectors of the Gaza Strip.
The group targeted IOF gatherings and vehicles using heavy-caliber mortars, causing casualties, according to the spokesperson.
Abu Khaled also noted that the Resistance group engaged in intense confrontations against the Israeli occupation forces in the vicinity of al-Amal Hospital and al-Batn al-Samin area in Khan Younis, inflicting casualties among the occupation forces.
In addition, the Martyr Omar al-Qassem Forces, in western Gaza, particularly around Al-Shifa Hospital axis, confronted invading Israeli occupation forces as they attempted to advance into those areas, resulting in casualties among the occupation forces. Furthermore, they targeted Israeli occupation sites in Tal al-Hawa axis, west of Gaza City, and Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, with a number of heavy-caliber mortar shells.
More troops lost in Gaza than any previous war: Israeli media
Earlier, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth disclosed that the Israeli Air Force's elite unit, known as "Shaldag", suffered more losses within the Gaza Strip than in all preceding wars combined.
The newspaper's military correspondent, Yossi Yehoshua, said that the "Shaldag" unit, which has been fighting with the infantry forces since October 7, "lost more soldiers in this battle than it lost in all previous wars... nine of its soldiers were killed."
He pointed to the fact that the Israeli occupation's pararescue Unit 669, which works in coordination with the Shaldag Unit, has suffered higher casualties in Gaza when compared to previous wars. To the Israeli expert this hints at different operational methods being deployed on the field.
He added that Unit 669 faced significant losses during their deployment to rescue the forces of the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion in al-Shujaiya, enduring heavy casualties in the process.
The newspaper highlighted that the occupation army is incurring a significant cost in terms of losses and training. It emphasized that "training special unit fighters takes more time and money, and it is not easy to fill their places."
One of the most prominent officers in the “Shaldag” unit (the elite forces of the Air Force) in the Israeli occupation army was killed yesterday during violent confrontations with the Palestinian Resistance in northern Gaza, according to Israeli media.
This raised the number of Israeli troops announced dead yesterday to four, including two officers. Additionally, at least five Israeli soldiers were injured by the Resistance in the Gaza Strip.
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