Unprecedented Battles Unfold in Khan Yunis: Israeli Officer Confirms Hamas’s Resilience
Watan-Israeli commando brigade commander, Omer Cohen, admitted that his forces are engaged in unprecedented battles in Khan Yunis, south of Gaza, unlike anywhere else in the sector.
Cohen also acknowledged that the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has significant capabilities in Khan Yunis.
This came during his interview with the Israeli newspaper “Haaretz,” as part of a report on the progress of fighting in Khan Yunis, where the Israeli army is launching a ground attack there.
Cohen said, “We have been in (the city of) Hamad for about ten days… We have fought here in battles we have not seen before and unprecedented battles anywhere else in the sector so far.”
He added, “The neighborhood is full of Palestinian fighters and the most advanced combat equipment, including high-level explosives that have already been used against us.”
Hamas Remains Strong
While claiming that Hamas has lost its leadership and control capabilities in large parts of the Gaza Strip, he admitted that in Hamad city, the combat formation is still functioning significantly.
The Israeli officer affirmed that Hamas has greater capabilities to manage forces, as evidenced during the recent fighting.
Entering the Hornet’s Nest
In a related context, Major “A,” commander of the “Egoz” unit, a special reconnaissance unit belonging to the “Golani” brigade, said, “When you enter the Hamad neighborhood, you really realize that this is a hornet’s nest,” according to the same source.
The Israeli newspaper correspondent accompanying the forces in Khan Yunis explained that after about a week and a half of fighting, the Hamad neighborhood, like most places entered by the occupying army in the Gaza Strip, will no longer be suitable for habitation.
He pointed out that almost all of the 120 buildings in the area have been destroyed or damaged, and there will be a need for extensive reconstruction before people can reside there.
Fierce Battles
Palestinian resistance fighters have been engaged in fierce battles against the occupying army since the beginning of the ground offensive on October 17, 2023, which started in the north of the sector and reached its south.
Since the start of the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip on October 27 of last year, 249 Israeli officers and soldiers out of a total of 590 military personnel have been killed since the start of the war on the 7th of the same month.
Additionally, 1475 Israeli officers and soldiers were injured in the ground offensive, out of a total of 3071 since the outbreak of the war.
