Israel army again returns to Gaza's Jabaliya as Hamas rebuilds

The Israeli military said Sunday its forces surrounded the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza in response to indications Hamas was rebuilding despite a year of strikes and fighting.

“The troops of the 401st Brigade and the 460th Brigade have successfully encircled the area and are currently continuing to operate in the area,” the military said in a statement.

It cited intelligence suggesting the presence of Hamas militants and infrastructure in the area of Jabaliya… as well as efforts by the group to rebuild its operational capabilities in the area”.

“Prior to and during the operation, the IAF (air force) struck dozens of military targets in the area to assist the ground troops,” the military said, adding targets hit were weapons storage facilities, underground infrastructure sites and other militant infrastructure sites.

Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said multiple strikes rocked Jabaliya overnight, with many casualties.

Israeli forces regularly bombarded Jabaliya since the Gaza war began, displacing most residents.

In recent months, Israeli troops have returned to several areas across Gaza where they had previously conducted operations against Hamas, only to find militants rebuilding their efforts.

The military said it was also expanding the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi along the coastline in southern Gaza.

“For this purpose, two humanitarian evacuation routes from northern Gaza have been reopened: one along the Salaheddine road and the other along the Al-Rashid coastal road,” the military said.

Gaza civil defence agency meanwhile said an Israeli air strike on a mosque-turned-shelter on Sunday in central Deir El-Balah killed 21 people, while Israel’s military claimed it had targeted Hamas militants.

“The number of deaths rose to 21 and a large number of wounded as a result of the occupation (Israel) bombing of a mosque sheltering displaced people in front of the gate of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir El-Balah in the central Gaza Strip,” said agency spokesman Bassal.

Until now at least 41,825 people have been killed in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry.

The United Nations have acknowledged the figures to be reliable.