Day 98 – IDF encircles al-Bureij camp and advances deeper into Khan Younis

After largely securing the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Force continued to lead intense battles in its central and southern portions as it encircled the al-Bureij camp and advanced deeper into the town of Khan Younis.

Currently, four IDF divisions are operating in the Gaza Strip, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari said in a press briefing on Thursday.

In the central Gaza Strip, the IDF is currently fighting in two out of four large camps lying between the army and the town of Deir al-Balah, which is estimated to be the next target of the troops’ advance south in the direction of Khan Younis.

Gaza update:

Main combat operations in the north of Gaza have come to an end, though there is still an IDF presence.

The IDF has encircled Al Bureij camp and advanced south along the Salah Al Deen Road.

The IDF has also continued to expand its control in the Khan Yunis area. pic.twitter.com/Q7XmnxzQAN

— War Mapper (@War_Mapper) January 11, 2024

IDF soldiers have encircled the al-Bureij camp while advancing deep into the al-Maghazi camp. The outskirts of the Nuseirat camp has begun to see some fighting, leaving only the last camp al-Zuwayda in the way to Deir al-Balah.

In al-Maghazi, forces of the 36th Division battlegroup eliminated around 20 terrorists on Thursday, among them a commander in Hamas’ elite Nukhba force, and located many weapons.

In the area of al-Bureij, soldiers of the 414th combat intel battalion identified a terrorist who shot at Israeli forces from the window of a building in the area. The soldiers then launched a drone towards the window from which the terrorist shot and eliminated him.

In Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, an Israeli Air Force fighter jet attacked a military building of Hamas according to the direction of soldiers of the 98th Division, killing seven terrorists.

Among them was another commander in the Nukhba force, which spearheaded the murderous attack on the Israeli communities on Oct. 7.

A force of the Commando Brigade identified and killed three armed terrorists in Khan Younis who were exiting the house of a Hamas operative and advancing toward Israeli soldiers.

Other soldiers located several Kalashnikov weapons, and RPG launchers and destroyed a weapons warehouse in the city.

After almost three months of fighting, IDF soldiers have so far found hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnels built by the Hamas terrorists.

The Israeli army estimates that based on an analysis of the tunnels explored so far, over 6000 tons of concrete and 1800 tons of metal were invested in the construction of the underground infrastructure, at an estimated cost of tens of millions of dollars.