The IDF on Sunday surrounded the Hemed neighborhood of Khan Younis in a targeted assault on Hamas operatives there. Some 50 airstrikes had rained on the city quarter in just 6 minutes according to reports.
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The military said it was going after the remaining Hamas forces in the area as well as the terror infrastructure built by Hamas in and underneath the civilian neighborhood.
"The extensive bombing is to create the optimal conditions for the ground troops in their surprise assault, as they go after Hamas terrorists," the IDF said.
Hamas radio said in the siege, dozens of families were trapped in the apartment blocks while drones and tanks opened fire. The Qatari built section includes 3,000 housing units for impoverished Gazans.
Earlier the IDF said it was entering the next phase of its fighting in the southern part of Gaza with precise operations to eliminate Hamas fighters and infrastructure.