Day 148: Israeli commandos raid compound of Hamas leader Sinwar in Khan Younis

Israeli commandos raided a compound belonging to the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, on Saturday, as the raids and IDF clearing operations continued in the area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

The soldiers of the Commando Brigade engaged in intense combat west of Khan Younis, where they eliminated dozens of terrorists and raided terrorist infrastructures based on precise intelligence, the IDF stated.

Fighters of the special ‘Egoz’ unit raided a compound belonging to Yahya Sinwar, finding a Kalashnikov rifle that was hidden in the building. In addition, they raided another compound where they discovered large amounts of military equipment, Hamas uniforms, vests, submachine guns, binoculars, uniforms, communication and a laptop computer.

2/ Palestinian militias defended against Israeli operations in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces continued to conduct clearing operations in western and eastern Khan Younis. pic.twitter.com/PTaDLjyOXE

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) March 2, 2024

In Khan Younis, Israeli forces were joined on Thursday by the IDF’s Bislamach Brigade, comprised of instructors at the IDF’s School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders.

The Bislamach Brigade replaced the Paratrooper Brigade after several months of fighting in southern Gaza under the command of the 98th Division.

Soldiers of the 7th Brigade’s battlegroup continued their fight in the western area of the town, eliminating several terrorists and locating weapons, including explosives, grenades, Kalashnikov-type rifles and combat vests.

The Brigade fire center ordered several airstrikes, which killed eight terrorists, some of whom were carrying a suspected explosive device.

After a rocket was launched at the Israeli city of Ashkelon on Friday night, the IDF attacked the launch site in the northern Strip, as well as several other rocket launch pits, the IDF announced on Saturday.

The Nahal Brigade killed 20 terrorists during its operations in the central Gaza Strip throughout the last day. The Nahal fire center detected a Hamas squad loading weapons on a vehicle that started driving near the forces, and quickly directed an aircraft to strike and eliminate them.

In another incident, the Brigade’s fire center identified several Hamas squads approaching Israeli soldiers and eliminated them in cooperation with the forces in the field.

Israeli media also cited Gazan sources reporting heavy waves of Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, the southernmost town in the Gaza Strip, including strikes near the Philadelphi Corridor running along the Egyptian border.

The strikes may indicate that Israel is preparing for the long-anticipated and controversial invasion of the town, which is considered the last Hamas stronghold of the Strip.