The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have provided an update on the recent activities of their 36th Division in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. The IDF reports that the infantry, tanks, and combat engineers of the 36th Division are focused on dismantling the Hamas Zeitoun battalion. This battalion operates within the Zeitoun area, where heavy fighting is currently taking place. The military estimates that its forces have eliminated hundreds of Hamas militants in the ongoing conflict. Hamas operatives, according to IDF assessments, are fighting in small cells consisting of five to 10 gunmen, making the combat intense and challenging. The IDF anticipates that this battle in Zeitoun will continue for at least another 72 hours. Following this period, their objective is to completely demolish the terrorist group’s infrastructure in the neighborhood. The IDF has released a statement highlighting several skirmishes between their troops, led by the Golani Infantry Brigade, and Hamas fighters in Zeitoun. These encounters have occurred in various civilian locations, including residential homes, hospitals, schools, and other public sites. Additionally, the 188th Armored Brigade of the IDF has successfully overtaken a number of key Hamas positions in Zeitoun, including the offices of the head of Hamas’s brigade in Gaza City, which were subsequently destroyed. The 36th Division has also coordinated multiple airstrikes targeting Hamas operatives in the area. Moreover, they have discovered a rocket-making laboratory, various weapons, explosive devices, a drone, and a tunnel within a mosque in Zeitoun, further emphasizing the complex nature of the urban combat environment and the use of civilian sites for militant activities. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)