IDF marks two years since start of ground operation in Gaza

The Israeli military toll in Gaza since the start of the ground operation currently stands at 470, while the figure for all fronts since Oct. 7 is 920.

By JNS

The Israel Defense Forces on Monday marked two years since the start of the ground operation against the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip.

“Two years since the beginning of the ground operation in Gaza, IDF troops have continued to eliminate threats, dismantle Hamas terror infrastructure, and work to bring every hostage home,” it stated.

Following two years of fighting, Israel and Hamas this month agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal that saw IDF troops partially withdraw from the Strip, leaving them in control of roughly half its territory.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday signed off on the IDF’s recommendation to cancel a “Special Situation” in the country’s south that had been extended several times since the Oct. 7 attacks.

The ground incursion into Gaza started after a three-week air campaign against terrorist forces in the Strip.

Soldiers of the IDF’s 401st Armored Brigade were the first to enter the coastal enclave on Oct. 27, 2023.

Jerusalem reportedly agreed to delay the ground operation at the request of the Biden administration, which rushed air defenses to the Middle East to protect American troops stationed across the region.

The “War of Redemption” saw the Jewish state fight on seven fronts: in the Gaza Strip, Iran, Iraq, Judea and Samaria, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.

During the war, the IDF eliminated countless senior Hamas operatives, including Yahya Sinwar, its Gaza-based leader; Ismail Haniyeh, head of its “political bureau”; Saleh al-Arouri, Haniyeh’s deputy; Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’s military wing; and Marwan Issa, his deputy.

The Israeli military toll in Gaza since the start of the ground operation currently stands at 470, while the figure for all fronts since Oct. 7 is 920.

Since the start of the ground maneuver in Gaza, a total of 2,980 Israeli troops sustained wounds, with 149 remaining hospitalized as of Monday afternoon, 13 of whom were listed as being in serious condition.

Out of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas and its terrorist allies during the massacre 751 days ago, the remains of 13 slain captives are still in Gaza.