Satellite images show Israel’s advance into central Gaza.
The Israeli army entered central Gaza between December 24 and 26, according to new satellite images obtained and analyzed by The New York Times. These images provide a fuller picture of the final front in Israel’s war to eradicate Hamas from the embattled enclave.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces had reached the outskirts of Al Bureij, a densely built-up neighborhood in the center of the Gaza Strip, about a mile from the border with Israel.
In a news briefing on Tuesday, the army confirmed the advance and said its forces had attacked terrorist infrastructure in the Al Bureij area and found a tunnel shaft.
“We are expanding the fighting into the area called the central camps,” said Adm. Daniel Hagari, the military’s chief spokesman.
The army crossed the border at at least two locations to advance towards Al Bureij. The images, obtained from commercial imaging provider Planet Labs, captured dozens of armored vehicles, as well as newly cleared areas and earthen fortifications.
Founded decades ago as a refugee camp for Palestinians displaced during Israel’s founding, Al Bureij has grown into a small but densely packed neighborhood. according to UNRWAthe UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees.
On Sunday, airstrikes in and around the neighborhood left dozens dead, Gaza Health Ministry officials said. Satellite images also revealed recently destroyed residential and other buildings affected.
a video published by the Israeli military and verified by The Times shows some of the same armored vehicles shortly after crossing the border and driving deeper into Gaza.
Late last week, Israel told residents of the same area in central Gaza that was also home to the Gaza Strip almost 90,000 people before the war, to evacuate to the south. The orders and the new military advance affect an area that had not previously been the focus of the Israeli offensive. The humanitarian situation in the south of the Gaza Strip has become increasingly dire as displaced Palestinians are forced to flee there.
Nadav Gavrielov contributed reporting from Tel Aviv.