Insurgency in the North Gaza Strip

Last updated

Insurgency in the North Gaza Strip
Part of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present) in the Israel–Hamas war, and the Blockade of the Gaza Strip
North gaza insurgency.png
Reported military situation in March
Date7 January 2024 – present
Location
Status Ongoing
Belligerents

Coat of arms of Palestine (alternative).svg Palestinian Civil Police Force [1]
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel
Commanders and leaders

Flag of Hamas.svg Yahya Sinwar
Flag of Hamas.svg Mohammed Deif
Flag of Hamas.svg Izz al Din al Haddad
Flag of Hamas.svg Ibrahim Biari [2]

Contents


Coat of arms of Palestine (alternative).svg Faiq Al-Mabhouh   [1]
Flag of the Likud.svg Benjamin Netanyahu
Flag of the Likud.svg Yoav Gallant
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Yair Palai  [ he ]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Yisrael Shomer  [ he ]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Ami Bitton  [ he ]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Liron Betiteo  [ he ]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Benny Aharon  [ he ]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Neri Horowitz  [ he ]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Ido Mizrahi  [ he ]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Sebastian Haion   [3]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Yitzhar Hofman   [4]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Eyal Shuminov   [5]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Lior Raviv   [6]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Matan Vinogradov   [6]
Units involved

Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg Israeli Defence Forces

Casualties and losses
Flag of Palestine.svg 20+ militants killed (in early stages, per IDF) [14]
Coat of arms of Palestine (alternative).svg 1+ policemen killed
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg 29+ soldiers killed [6] [15] [16] [17]
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg 1 Namer APC destroyed
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg 1 Merkava tank damaged
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg 1 IDF Caterpillar D9 bulldozer destroyed

The Insurgency in the North Gaza Strip is an armed conflict centered in the North Gaza Governorate, around the besieged Gaza City after Israel announced it had dismantled 12 Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades battalions on 7 January. [18] [19] [20]

Several Palestinian militant groups, led by the Al-Qassam Brigades began resurging in territories formerly cleared, after 4 months of bombardment and 3 months of ground invasion.

Course of the insurgency

Palestinian brigades organised and consolidated areas that Israeli forces had withdrawn from, and rehabilitated civilian services such as police forces. [21]

The brigades launched offensives on areas in the northern Gaza Strip held by Israeli forces. As a result, Israeli troops moved into areas that they have previously withdrawn from. [22] A Namer APC repositioning in Sheikh Radwan on 19 January was ambushed by a militant with a dual attack, first by a Shawadh IED detonation succeeded by a Yasin-105 rocket-propelled grenade fired by a Al-Qassam Brigade militants. [23] Al-Qassam brigades ambushed Israeli forces in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood on 31 January, targeting two Merkava tanks, damaging one and an IDF Caterpillar D9. [24]

In 13 May 2024, fighting has been reported in Jabalia refugee camp. The armed wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed that their militants are targeting nearby IDF forces with mortars, anti-tank missiles, and machine guns. [25]

According to the BBC, unnamed senior Israeli military figures told Israeli media that Hamas's resurgence in northern Gaza was due to a lack of a specific plan from Israel's government for the "day after" the war. [25] In January 2024, Channel 13 News said that IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi warned Israeli leadership in private that their military gains could be eroded without a plan for the post-war management in Gaza. [26]

Israeli operations

Zeitoun operation

In late February, Israeli forces targeted the Zeitoun district in southwestern Gaza City with two brigades, announcing they were attacking paramilitaries in close quarters combat and with missile strikes.

The Israeli army acknowledged stiff resistance from paramilitaries in Zeitoun but not while Israeli vehicles advanced on the district, admitting casualties in three different engagements on penetrating forces on February 21. Fighting was mainly led by the Al-Qassam and Al-Quds Brigades, with minor support from smaller paramilitary groups. [27]

Al Shifa Hospital raid

Al-Shifa Hospital Raid
Date18 March 2024–1 April 2024
Location
Status Israel withdraws on 1 April after destroying most of the hospital [28]
Belligerents
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel

Flag of Hamas.svg "Hamas" (Alleged) [lower-alpha 1]


Coat of arms of Palestine (alternative).svg Palestinian Civil Police Force
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Israel.svg Sebastian Haion  Flag of Hamas.svg Faiq Al-Mabhouh  (per IDF) [29]
Units involved
Flag of Hamas.svg  al-Qassam Brigades (On the outskirts)
Casualties and losses
2+ soldiers killed

On 17 March 2024, Israeli forces raided Rimal and occupied Al-Shifa hospital following supposed intel that senior Hamas officials had regrouped and were using the hospital "to command attacks". [30] Two patients on life support at the intensive care unit in the same building had died because the electricity supply was cut ahead of the raid. [30]

Second Zeitoun Operation

On May 9, Israel renewed operations in North Gaza, sending a force into the Zeitoun district which had faced a major battle months prior. The IDF has admitted that 4 soldiers were killed on the first day. [31]

Jabalia operation

On 12 May 2024, the IDF said that it launched an operation in Jabalia the previous evening "based on intelligence information regarding attempts by Hamas to reassemble its terrorist infrastructure and operatives in the area". According to residents fleeing the area, tanks were seen advancing towards the refugee camp, which was heavily bombarded. [25]

See also

Notes

  1. The IDF do not distinguish between the Hamas political party and the Al Qassam Brigades militant wing, in their public communications in English they call both "Hamas" and so define all activity of the government "terrorist activity".

Related Research Articles

This page is a partial listing of incidents of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2004.

In 2004, the Israeli Defense Forces launched Operation "Days of Penitence", otherwise known as Operation "Days of Repentance" in the northern Gaza Strip. The operation lasted between 29 September and 16 October 2004. About 130 Palestinians, and 1 Israeli were killed.

This page is a partial listing of incidents of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2005.

This is the Timeline of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2008</span>

In 2008, Israel sought to halt the rocket and mortar fire from Gaza that killed four Israeli civilians that year and caused widespread trauma and disruption of life in Israeli towns and villages close to the Gaza border. In addition, Israel insisted that any deal include an end to Hamas's military buildup in Gaza, and movement toward the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit. Hamas wanted an end to the frequent Israeli military strikes and incursions into Gaza, and an easing of the economic blockade that Israel has imposed since Hamas took over the area in 2007.

Events in 2023 in the Palestinian territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)</span> Israeli military operation

The Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip is a major part of the Israel-Hamas war. Starting on October 7, 2023, immediately after the Hamas-led attacks, Israel began the bombing of Gaza Strip; on October 13, Israel began ground operations in Gaza and on October 27 full-scale invasion was launched. Israel's campaign, called Operation Swords of Iron, has two stated goals: to destroy Hamas and to free the hostages. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the operation began, including more than 7,800 children and 4,900 women, with another 10,000 people missing and presumed dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings. There are allegations that Israel has committed war crimes and genocide during the invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Beit Hanoun</span> 2023 military engagement in the Gaza Strip

The battle of Beit Hanoun began on 27 October 2023 in the midst of the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. On 18 December 2023, Israeli forces had prematurely signalled that they had full control over Beit Hanoun and had destroyed Hamas’ Beit Hanoun Battalion. However, clashes continued in the town. Israeli forces withdrew from the town on the 24th of December. Subsequently, some Palestinian militants infiltrated back into the town and conducted attacks against Israeli forces to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Gaza City</span> 2023-24 military engagement in the Gaza city

The siege of Gaza City began on 2 November 2023, when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) surrounded Gaza City, amid the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, which was a counterattack to the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Gaza City is the most populated city in the Gaza Strip and the battle started on 30 October 2023, when Israel and Hamas clashed in Gaza City. According to Oxfam, there are about 500,000 Palestinians, along with 200 Israelis and other captives, currently trapped in a "siege within a siege" in northern Gaza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Khan Yunis</span> 2023 military engagement in the Gaza Strip

The battle of Khan Yunis, which evolved into the siege of Khan Yunis in late January, began on 1 December 2023 in the midst of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.

On 13 December 2023, during the wider Israeli invasion of Gaza, Hamas forces carried out an ambush at Shuja'iyya. The ambush resulted in the deaths of 10 Israeli soldiers. One of the dead soldiers was Colonel Yitzhak Ben-Bashat.

The following is a list of events during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2024.

Yitzhar Hofman was an Israeli soldier who was a commander in the Israeli Air Force's elite Shaldag Unit.

Brigadier General Fayeq Al-Mabhouh was the Director-General of Central Operations in the Ministry of the Interior and National Security in the Gaza Strip. He was the leader of their crisis management team. His most notable recent responsibilities related to civilian disaster management, such as coordination and enforcement of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extrajudicial killings in the Gaza Strip</span>

There have been numerous targeted killings, summary executions, and other extrajudicial killings in the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas. A small number of people in the Gaza Strip have been sentenced to death after murder convictions in civilian courts, but far more executions have been implemented by military courts with limited accountability, and many have been comletely extrajudicial killings or summary executions. Most of these killings have been during broader violent conflicts, but the people killed were unarmed and not actively engaged in combat at the time. The violence has repeatedly spoiled over into the Gaza Envelope and the Sinai Peninsula.

References

  1. 1 2 "Hamas police official who secured aid distribution among 50 executed in Shifa Hospital raid". MadaMasr. 19 March 2024.
  2. Abed, Esam; Rothwell, James; Shamalakh, Siham (8 December 2023). "After the bombs fell: How Israel's invasion of Gaza risks radicalising a new generation of Palestinians". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 16 January 2024. The IDF said Biari 'oversaw all military operations in the northern Gaza Strip since the IDF entered'
  3. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-commander-killed-in-raid-on-northern-gaza-hospital-army-says/3168555#:~:text=An%20Israeli%20military%20commander%20was,City%2C%20a%20military%20statement%20said.
  4. "Israeli Commander Responsible for Storming Al-Shifa Hospital Killed - VIDEO & REPORT". 17 March 2024.
  5. "IDF says numerous Gaza gunmen slain in weekend fighting; company commander killed". The Times of Israel.
  6. 1 2 3 https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/swords-of-iron-idf-casualties#:~:text=Share%3A,have%20been%20killed%20in%20battle.&text=%2D%20Figures%20refer%20only%20to%20IDF%20personnel%20injured%20in%20combat.
  7. "Israeli soldier seriously wounded in north Gaza fighting".
  8. "Israeli soldier killed during fighting in Gaza: Army".
  9. "Two Israeli soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip". Al Jazeera. 29 June 2024.
  10. Fabian, Emanuel. "IDF announces deaths of three soldiers killed fighting in northern Gaza earlier today". timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  11. Fabian, Emanuel. "IDF announces deaths of three soldiers killed fighting in northern Gaza earlier today". timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  12. "Israeli soldier succumbs to injuries received in northern Gaza: Israeli military".
  13. "Two reservists killed in north Gaza, as soldiers slain in Rafah blast named". The Times of Israel. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  14. Mills, Peter; Javeri, Ashka; Ganzeveld, Annika; Tyson, Kathryn; Carl, Nicholas (22 February 2024). "Iran Update, February 22, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  15. "Israeli soldier killed during fighting in Gaza: Army".
  16. "Two reservists killed in north Gaza, as soldiers slain in Rafah blast named". The Times of Israel. 16 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  17. "Two Israeli soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip". Al Jazeera. 29 June 2024.
  18. Jhaveri, Ashka; Soltani, Amin; Moore, Johanna; Tyson, Kathryn; Braverman, Alexandra; Carl, Nicholas (7 January 2024). "Iran Update, January 7, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  19. Clarke, Colin P. (5 February 2024). "The Counterinsurgency Trap in Gaza". Foreign Affairs. 103 (2). Council on Foreign Relations. ISSN   2327-7793. OCLC   863038729 . Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  20. Rasgon, Adam; Boxerman, Aaron (23 February 2024). "As Gaza War Grinds On, Israel Prepares for a Prolonged Conflict". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  21. Burke, Jason (30 January 2024). "Hamas regroups in northern Gaza to prepare new offensive". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  22. Barbakh, Arafat; Siu, Tyrone; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (16 January 2024). "Gaza combat resurges as Israeli tanks storm back into areas they left". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  23. "استهداف آليات الاحتلال في الشيخ رضوان" [Targeting occupation mechanisms in Sheikh Radwan]. risala (in Arabic). 17 January 2024.
  24. "alahed".
  25. 1 2 3 Gritten, David (13 May 2024). "Gaza war: Palestinians flee as Israeli forces go back into Jabalia". BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  26. "Hamas moves to reassert power in Gaza City areas from which Israeli forces withdrew". The Times of Israel. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  27. Parry, Andie; Soltani, Amin; Moore, Johanna; Braverman, Alexandra; Tyson, Kathryn; Arman, Ahmad Omid; McGill, Anne; Fitzpatrick, Kitaneh; Carter, Brian (21 February 2024). "Iran update, February 21, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  28. Knell, Yolande; Seddon, Sean (1 April 2024). "Gaza's al-Shifa hospital in ruins after two-week Israeli raid". BBC. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  29. "Top hamas man killed in shifa hospital".
  30. 1 2 Gunter, Joel; Gritten, David (18 March 2024). "Israel launches night raid on Gaza al-Shifa hospital". BBC News. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  31. "Israeli Palestinian conflict mental health impact". The times of Israel. Retrieved 7 April 2024.