Israeli Military Takes 'Operational Control' Over Central Gaza After Air Strikes Kill 70 Palestinians

Israel-Gaza War: The military said on Wednesday that the troops had begun an operation against 'terrorists and terrorist infrastructure above and below ground'.

Israel-Gaza War: The military said that the troops had begun an operation against 'terrorists and terrorist infrastructure above and below ground'. Image used for representational purposes only.

Source : Getty

Israel-Gaza War: The Israeli military said that it has taken “operational control” over eastern areas of the Bureij refugee camp and the town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Dozens of Palestinians were reported killed. The military said on Wednesday that the troops had begun an operation against “terrorists and terrorist infrastructure above and below ground" backed by air strikes, the BBC reported.

According to residents, intense bombardment took place after the military operation began. The charity Médecins Sans Frontières claimed that at least 70 dead people, majority women and children, had been brought to a local hospital since Tuesday, the BBC reported.

This came at a time when US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators met in Doha and Cairo to hold discussions on how to finalise a new ceasefire and hostage release deal.

On Tuesday, the US said it was still waiting for a response from Hamas to what it described as an Israeli proposal outlined by US President Joe Biden last week.

According to the BBC, Qatar stated that it had delivered the plan to Hamas representatives and noted that it was also still waiting for a clear position from the Israeli government.

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday that the group would deal "seriously and positively" with a proposal based on an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Buregi Refugee Camp 

One of the smallest refugee camps out of eight historic refugee camps in Gaza, Bureij covers an area of 0.5 sq km (0.2 sq miles) and had 46,000 residents registered with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) before the war, as reported by the BBC.

The Buregi refugee camp is just to the south of the Wadi Gaza riverbed and the IDF’s “Central Gaza Strip Corridor." It is a section of land that is under the control of Israeli forces and runs east to west from the border with Israel to the Mediterranean Sea, dividing Gaza in two.

According to the BBC, the Nuseirat and Maghazi refugee camps are also located near Bureij, while the town of Deir al-Balah is about 5 km (3 miles) to the south-west.

Earlier this year, a ground operation against Hamas fighters was carried out by IDF troops in the camps of central Gaza that lasted several weeks.

Operation In Bureji Aims To Dismantle Terrorist Infrastructure: IDF 

On Wednesday, the IDF stated that the new "targeted" operation in Bureij and eastern Deir al-Balah was aimed at dismantling "terrorist infrastructure located several kilometres away from the border with Israel above and below ground," as quoted by the BBC.

“The activity started with a series of aerial strikes on terror targets, including military compounds, weapons storage facilities, and underground infrastructure," the IDF's statement further stated. 

Later, the IDF put out a new statement announcing that troops had “gained operational control” of eastern Bureij and eastern Deir al-Balah. It added that they had “eliminated terrorists” in the areas, destroyed rocket and mortar launchers, and located several tunnel shafts.