Israel peddling illusionary advances in Gaza as part of psychological war: Hamas

“The (Israeli) occupation tries to market illusionary advances in Gaza as part of its psychological war on the residents of Gaza,” Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, said in a statement.

He added the Palestinian resistance in Gaza is steadfast and is controlling the battle and carrying out quality operations against Israeli tanks and military vehicles.

“The presence of the occupation tanks in certain places doesn’t mean its control over the area,” Barhoum stated.

Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari had claimed that the Israeli army is advancing in Gaza from different areas.

The Israel Defense Forces also announced Hamas’ military organization has collapsed in the north of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on Monday Hamas has lost control of Gaza, its activists fleeing to the south.

According to the minister, Israeli forces are advancing “according to plans and carry out the tasks accurately, lethally”. The IDF, in his words, has intensified its operations against Hamas’ tunnels under Gaza.

According to the Israeli military, before the start of hostilities, Hamas units in the Gaza Strip numbered 30,000 fighters, which were grouped into five regional brigades, 24 battalions and approximately 130 companies. They possessed combat skills in engineering, anti-tank warfare, sniping, and had anti-ship and air defense units.

As the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip entered its 38th day, at least 11,180 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,700 children and women, and more than 28,200 others have been injured, according to the latest figures by Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings including hospitals, mosques and churches have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.