Day 41: IDF seizes control of Gaza harbor, destroying monument to 2010 flotilla from Turkey
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says western Gaza City secured, ‘the next phase has begun’
November 16, 2023
After the announcement of weapons discovered in the Shifa Hospital, the IDF announced that soldiers continue to operate in the area of Shifa Hospital.
The forces go through building after building scanning all the floors, despite the presence of hundreds of patients and medical personnel.
According to the IDF, "the activity is being conducted judiciously, patiently and thoroughly, while assessing the situation on the ground and conducting an investigation at the site."
So far, no medical staff member or IDF soldier has been injured in the operation.
Israeli commandos take control over the Gaza harbor, Nov. 16, 2023 (Photo: IDF)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Foreign Media Spokesman Mark Regev told CNN that “Israel will present additional evidence proving that Hamas operates a headquarters under Shifa Hospital.”
In the past couple days, fighters of the 188th Brigade's combat team, together with fighters from Shayetet 13, Israel’s equivalent of the Navy SEALs achieved operational control of Gaza's central harbor, which includes a Hamas naval base.
During the operations, about 10 tunnel shafts and four buildings used for terror purposes were destroyed by engineering teams. An IDF bulldozer also toppled the monument to the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla from Turkey.
During the boarding of the Mavi Marmara ship in 2010, activists beat Shayatet 13 operators who boarded the ship to search for contraband items.
Israeli commandos take control over the Gaza harbor, Nov. 16, 2023 (Photo: IDF)
Some of the fighters of Shayetet 13 who took part in the takeover of the harbor also participated in the Mavi Marmara raid.
Hamas used the harbor as a training facility for the naval forces for terrorist purposes, using civilian boats and Gaza naval police boats. Ten Hamas terrorists were killed in the operation to take control of the harbor.
The tunnels under the Gaza Strip continue to represent a significant tactical challenge for the military in securing the area.
The tunnels include command and control offices, weapons depots and workshops for the manufacture of weapons, and also serve as smuggling routes and hiding places and passage for terrorist operatives.
Israeli commandos take control over the Gaza harbor, Nov. 16, 2023 (Photo: IDF)
IDF engineers continue to find and destroy tunnels in territories under control of the IDF to prevent their use by Hamas.
The Israel Air Force destroyed the house of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Hamas, which also served as a planning and operations center.
This morning, the IDF released pictures of the weapons and military equipment seized in the Shati camp. The weapons were destroyed.
The IDF announced another tactical pause between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm to allow civilians to flee the northern Gaza Strip along the Salah al-Din road.
In a briefing Thursday afternoon, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the IDF has secured the western half of Gaza City.
“Over the last 24 hours we have gained [operational] control of the western area of Gaza City; the next phase has begun - the forces are acting precisely and decisively.”
The IDF also stated it had “clear information indicating a connection between Hamas activity in the [Shifa] hospital and the issue of the captives.” However, it also said the information from the laptops seized in the hospital has not been analyzed.
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