The Israel Defense Forces have said they took out a Hamas sniper using a helicopter, as can reportedly be seen in this footage.
They also said they had seized a number of weapons, including RPGs and Kalashnikovs, with a second piece of footage showing the haul.
The first video appears to show gunshots coming from a building in Gaza before it is hit by Israeli firepower, with the second video showing the Israeli soldiers going building to building and firing assault rifles.
The second video then shows a number of weapons that the Israeli military said they had seized.
The images were obtained from the Israel Defense Forces on Thursday 14th December, along with a statement saying: “The brigade’s armoured force detected Hamas terrorists observing the forces, fired at them and eliminated them.
“In addition, the fighters of the battle team yesterday searched a school compound that served as a central focus of the Shejaia battalion fighting the terrorist organisation Hamas.
“Shooting infrastructures were located in the compound and fighting was conducted from it against our forces, the fighters closed a circle on the terrorists and then destroyed terrorist infrastructures in the compound. Fighters from the Magellan unit raided a number of checkpoints in the Khan Yunis area where they found weapons, grenades and Kalashnikov rifles.
“The fighters destroyed two shafts, a rocket launch pit, and a weapons warehouse in the compound. During an activity of the 460th Brigade’s combat team to destroy terrorist infrastructure in the area of the Jabaliya refugee camp, the fighters located weapons. In addition, the force eliminated terrorists in several incidents.
“A force from the 414th Collection Battalion of the Border Protection Corps identified a sniper of the terrorist organisation Hamas firing from a building at an IDF force. The force directed a combat helicopter that eliminated the terrorist.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
The Israel-Hamas war is now entering its 68th day, after the deadliest attack on Israel by Hamas on 7th October left 1,200 Israelis dead.
At least 18,608 Palestinians have been killed after Israel retaliated with airstrikes on Gaza and a ground invasion.
Ismail Haniyeh, the Chairman of Hamas’ political branch, has said that any post-war plan for Gaza that does not include the militant Palestinian organisation is a “delusion”.
In a speech on Wednesday, he said: “Any arrangement in Gaza or in the Palestinian cause without Hamas or the resistance factions is a delusion.”
The comments were made after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not allow “the entry into Gaza of those who … support terrorism and finance terrorism.”
Haniyeh said he was open for discussions to end the bloodshed and to put “the Palestinian house in order both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.”
He also said that he was ready for discussions that could allow a “political path that secures the right of the Palestinian people to their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
A pro-Palestinian group calling themselves “Anonymous Jo” temporarily hacked into the Israeli army’s website on Wednesday, defacing the homepage and warning of further attacks against Israeli military forces.
The group said that the Israeli military’s “arrogance and injustice toward our people in Gaza will only harm you through terror, killing and war, whether by land, air or electronically”.
It also called for the “liberation of Palestine”.
A poll carried out by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research has found that support for Hamas has risen among Palestinians since the beginning of the latest conflict on 7th October.
Today, on Thursday, Israeli forces were continuing to bombard Gaza.
An Israeli strike in Rafah today killed 24 people, according to Hamas media.
