IDF forces entered the heart of Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, intensifying operations in the area.
Several rockets were launched from Jabaliya into Sderot on Wednesday, with rocket alert sirens sounding in the city at least six times since the beginning of the week.
Zeitoun district of Gaza City after departure of IDF forces
Initially, the IDF reported that all rockets targeting Sderot were intercepted successfully. However, it was later reported that one rocket directly hit an unoccupied building, causing damage. The army said that the incident was being investigated. In addition, two women were injured while seeking shelter during the rocket attacks.
The rocket attacks on Sderot were launched from a location just a few hundred feet away from where the Paratroopers Brigade was operating. This military tactic, colloquially known as "unloading stocks," involves Hamas depleting their ammunition stores at positions before the arrival of troops. The current IDF operations aim to destroy these weapon caches.
According to the IDF, the 7th Armored Brigade, the Paratroopers and the 460th Brigades of the 98th Division faced off against dozens of armed cells in intense combat in Jabaliya over the last day, resulting in the elimination of dozens of terrorists. In one incident, the Israeli Air Force targeted and eliminated the terrorist squad responsible for firing rockets at Sderot on Tuesday.
Speaking to Ynet, Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi stated that the ongoing rocket attacks on his city clearly indicate that the war has yet to achieve its goals.
"When you see what happened yesterday and what is happening today in Sderot, I think it is clear that we need to continue this war and we need to start a military campaign in the north," Davidi said.
"Yesterday, I heard some of the Israel Prize recipients, who we hosted, talking about painful compromises. Painful compromises are abandoning hundreds of thousands to the mercy of the monsters of Hamas and the monsters of Hezbollah.
"The prime minister, the defense minister and everyone should keep their promises - to return the hostages, wipe out Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as Hezbollah, and change the security reality in the north and south of Israel."
Davidi said that no official, including the prime minister, has reached out to him following the numerous rocket alarm sirens in his city in recent days
"Not for a long time. I think there is nothing left to say. Instead of talking, you have to keep going and you have to do more and more. It's more about the IDF in the Gaza Strip, it's more about the IDF not playing games, going in and out," he said.
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Model of an IDF tank located by Givati Brigade troops in a Hamas military outpost
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Meanwhile, 162nd Division forces continued to operate east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. The IDF said that the Givati Brigade raided a Hamas military outpost used for training in recent days, eliminating terrorists in face-to-face combat. A compound simulating many IDF tools and weapons, including a model of a tank, was located.
The IDF also reported that Nahal Brigade forces completed their withdrawal from Gaza City's Zeitoun district on Wednesday morning at the end of a week-long counterterrorism operation. A 2nd Brigade combat team reportedly continues to operate in Zeituon.
The army said that Air Force aircraft attacked and destroyed about 80 terrorist targets over the last day, including military compounds, weapons storage facilities, missile launchers, observation posts and additional sites used for terrorist activity.