Israeli Army Issues Statement

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced the launch of large-scale ground operations in the Gaza Strip as part of the "Gideon's Chariots" operation aimed at the final defeat of the Palestinian Hamas movement. This was reported by RIA Novosti.

"In the last 24 hours, IDF forces, under the command of the Southern Command, including both active-duty soldiers and reservists, have commenced extensive ground operations across the entire northern and southern regions of the Gaza Strip as part of the 'Gideon's Chariots' operation," the army's press service stated.

The military added that, in the last week, the Israeli air force conducted a preliminary wave of strikes, targeting over 670 Hamas facilities in the Gaza Strip to disrupt the enemy's preparations and support the ground operations.

"The targeted sites included weapons storage facilities, underground structures of terrorist infrastructure, missile artillery positions, as well as militants. As of now, the forces have eliminated dozens of terrorists, dismantled terrorist infrastructure both above and below ground, and are currently positioning themselves in key locations in the Gaza Strip," the press service noted.