Israel signals bombardment of northern Gaza set to end

The Israeli military has ‘dismantled’ Hamas in the north, but suggests the onslaught will continue in the rest of Gaza.

Israel has signalled that it is ready to end its bombardment of northern Gaza, saying it has “dismantled” Hamas in that part of the Gaza Strip.

The claim from the military spokesperson that Israel has nullified the Palestinian armed group in the north of the enclave extends the signs that it plans to shift to a more precise campaign. It came as top American and European envoys toured the region on Sunday, stepping up the international pressure over the mounting death toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The spokesperson said Israeli forces have now completely dismantled Hamas’s “military framework” in northern Gaza after killing about 8,000 fighters, and will now end major combat operations.

Hamas fighters “without a framework and without commanders” are still present, he continued, and scattered fighting is to be expected, along with rockets sporadically being launched towards Israel. But Hamas no longer operates in an organised manner in the area, he asserted.

The military did not address troop deployments in northern Gaza going forward, but the spokesperson said it will “continue to deepen the achievement” in the area.