The IDF conducted extensive airstrikes on Hamas weapons warehouses in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and central Gaza on Monday evening in response to continued incendiary kite and balloon launches toward Israeli communities, a security source told The Zioneer. The source said the military received approval to escalate strikes following instructions from the Prime Minister and Defense Minister, and that Israel had updated the Trump administration in advance. Under the revised policy, the IDF is now targeting weapons depots and buildup sites that were previously slated for later phases of the 15-point Peace Council plan.
The Israel Defense Forces launched extensive airstrikes on Hamas weapons warehouses across the Gaza Strip on Monday evening, targeting sites in Gaza City, the Khan Yunis area, and the central Gaza Strip, a security source told The Zioneer. The operation was ordered in response to the continued launch of incendiary kites and balloons toward Israeli communities in the Gaza envelope.
According to the source, the IDF received approval to escalate strikes following instructions issued on Sunday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. The military also updated the Trump administration in advance through ongoing coordination via the US command in Kiryat Gat.
The strikes mark a departure from the more restrictive policy that had been in place in recent weeks, under which targeted strikes required the personal authorization of the IDF Chief of Staff and limited field commanders to immediate-threat responses only, as The Zioneer reported on August 4. The new directive allows the IDF to target weapons warehouses and buildup sites that were previously slated for later phases of the 15-point Peace Council framework, under which Hamas is ultimately expected to disarm.
The escalation comes just minutes after The Zioneer reported that the IDF had confirmed Hamas is directing the kite and balloon launches, as a three-day deadline set by Israel to halt the launches approaches. Earlier this month, defense officials acknowledged that opportunities to strike Hamas operatives had been missed due to government policy and US pressure, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The Gaza Peace Council, a body involved in the ceasefire framework, stated: 'We are dealing with the matter, and handling it with the utmost seriousness.' Casualty figures from the strikes were not immediately available.
Source and signal
- Open-source intake