ISRAEL claims that another top Hamas commander was killed in the second airstrike on the Jabalia refuge camp in 24 hours.
Israeli forces said that Muhammad A’sar the head of Hamas’ anti-tank missile unit was “eliminated” in a strike of the Gazan refugee camp dubbed a “terrorist stronghold.”
Israel said that Hamas missile commander Muhammad A’sar was killed in the second airstrike
GettyThe IDF says troops have arrived “at the gates of Gaza”[/caption]
AFPSatellite images show the scale of destruction across Gaza following the blast[/caption]
Dramatic footage released by the IDF shows the moment of an explosion at a Hamas base in northern Gaza which Israel claims killed A’sar.
The IDF said the terror group’s commander was responsible for “numerous anti-tank missile attacks against civilians and IDF soldiers.”
It comes as another top Hamas commander was killed in Tuesday’s blast at the Jabalia refugee camp.
Ibrahim Biari, was one of the Hamas leaders responsible for orchestrating the deadly October 7 attacks.
Israel targeted the refugee base, which is the largest in the Gaza Strip, and is home to almost 120,000 people twice.
Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies reveal the devastating aftermath of the airstrikes that left a trail of destruction across Gaza.
Hamas claimed the blast killed 50 civilians while the second strike at the west side of the camp in the Al-Faluga area left dozens dead and injured, including children.
The terror group also claimed that seven hostages were among the victims of the attack, including three foreign passport holders.
The refugee camp dubbed a “terrorist stronghold” was targeted for a second time in 24 hours A top Hamas commander, Ibrahim Biari, was reportedly killed in the blastIsraeli forces keep advancing towards Gaza as their ground offensive progressesThe Rafah crossing is expected to reopen today as 400 foreigners hope to evacuate GazaThe first Brits have crossed the Rafah border from Gaza to Egypt
The IDF described the explosion as a “wide-scale strike on terrorists and terror infrastructure”.
And today fighting in the besieged enclave continued with Israeli ground troops pushing deeper and advancing in the south, along the coast and within Beit Hanoun.
“We are at the gates of Gaza City,” Israeli military commander Brigadier General Itzik Cohen said.
He added that troops “have destroyed much of Hamas’s capabilities, attacked its strategic facilities, all of its array of explosives, its underground tunnels and other facilities.
According to Israeli intelligence Israel Radar, the IDF has reached sites in Gaza “where no Israeli soldiers set foot in over 20 years” and the army uses “precise rockets to eliminate terror squads hiding in high-rises.”
The Israeli army said it had killed “dozens” of enemy forces as “terrorist cells in the northern Gaza Strip fired anti-tank missiles, detonated explosive devices and hurled grenades.
“The soldiers engaged with the terrorists, with the assistance of artillery fire and tanks, while directing an aerial strike from a helicopter and a missile strike from a naval boat.”
On Wednesday the lifeline Rafah crossing opened for the first time since the October 7 attack as hundreds of foreign nationals rushed to cross into Egypt.
The crossing, the only route out of Gaza not controlled by Israel, was opened in a crucial move to allow 500 trapped foreign passport holders to escape the hellish battleground.
The first Brits were able to cross the border last night but others were turned away.
The Foreign Office confirmed that British nationals used the Rafah crossing last night but did not say how many.
AFPAn Israeli army self-propelled artillery howitzer heading towards Gaza[/caption]
AFPIntense battles continue as Israeli forces advance towards Gaza City[/caption]
ReutersThe Jabalia refugee camp was targeted for a second time in 24 hours[/caption]
APForeigners were allowed to cross into Egypt through the Rafah crossing[/caption]
“We will continue working with partners to ensure the crossing is opened again allowing vital aid into Gaza and more British nationals to leave safely,” a statement read.
“The crossing will be open for controlled and time-limited periods to allow specific groups of foreign nationals and the seriously wounded to leave”.
And PM Rishi Sunak tweeted: “I spoke to President el-Sisi this evening to thank him for his support on opening the Rafah crossing for people to leave.
“The UK and Egypt will work closely together to enable all British nationals to leave safely, as well as ensuring much more life-saving aid gets into Gaza.”
At least 320 foreigners used the crossing to evacuate Gaza on Wednesday.
And 81 injured civilians in Gaza will also be allowed into Egypt to receive medical care.
Hundreds more foreigners hope to escape the warzone today as border officials confirmed another 400 foreign passport holders are expected to flee through the Rafah crossing.
Egypt said that eventually, it hoped to help evacuate 7,000 foreigners from more than 60 countries.
Israeli forces claim to have destroyed 11,000 Hamas targets in the region since the war began.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says 8,796 people have died, mostly women and children.
The UN’s top human rights body Wednesday decried “the high number of civilian casualties” and the massive scale of destruction and voiced “serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes”.
And although the US backs Israel in ruling out a ceasefire now, President Joe Biden said he would support a humanitarian “pause” to help get the hostages out of Gaza.
“There is no hope in the Gaza Strip,” said Amen al-Aqluk, who fled Gaza City under Israeli orders but remains stuck in the territory.
“We encounter death every day, 24 hours a day.”
AFPSmoke billowing in the air following bombardment in the south[/caption]
GettyPalestinians looking for survivors in the rubble after the Israeli airstrikes[/caption]