 "Representational image. AP")
The Israel’s military has claimed to have killed a senior Hamas weapons expert, and said it is continuing operations in Rafah, according to a report.
“Following IDF intelligence, IAF aircraft eliminated the terrorist Muhammad Salah, who was responsible for projects and development in Hamas’ weapons manufacturing headquarters. Salah was part of a project to develop strategic weaponry for the Hamas terrorist organisation, and he commanded a number of Hamas terrorist squads that worked on developing weapons,” The Guardian quoted the IDF as saying in a statement.
The statement further added that “IDF troops are continuing intelligence-based, targeted operations in the Rafah area”.
It also said troops were operating in “central Gaza”.
The claims have not been independently verified, added the report.
More than eight months into the fighting, international mediation backed by the United States has so far failed to bring a ceasefire agreement. Hamas says any agreement must bring an end the war, while Israel says it will agree only temporary pauses in fighting until Hamas is eradicated.
Israel denies targeting civilians and blames Hamas for provoking civilian casualties by fighting among them, which Hamas denies.
The Israeli military said forces continued “intelligence-based targeted operations” in Rafah, locating weapons and rocket launchers and killing militants “who posed threats to them.”
In the north of the enclave, where Israel had said its forces completed operations months ago, residents said tanks had pushed back into Gaza City’s Zeitoun suburb and were pounding several areas there.
Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on 7 October, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
The Israeli offensive in retaliation has killed almost 37,600 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and has left Gaza in ruins.
Since early May, fighting has focused on Rafah, on Gaza’s southern edge where around half of the enclave’s 2.3 million people had been sheltering after fleeing other areas.
Netanyahu said the phase of intense fighting against Hamas would end “very soon”, but that the war would not end until the Islamist group no longer controls the Palestinian enclave.
In an interview with Israel’s channel 14, he said forces based in Gaza would be freed to move to the north, where Israel has warned of a potential full-blown war against Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, which has struck the border region in what it says is solidarity with the Palestinians.
“After the intense phase is finished, we will have the possibility to move part of the forces north. And we will do this,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14.
With inputs from agencies