Exclusive: Hamas has 20,000 fighters 'ready and waiting'

Israel is grappling with growing concerns over Hamas's next moves as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) gear up for a large-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip. According to a Ynet report, Hamas is holding 20,000 operatives in reserve, primarily stationed in cities sheltering displaced persons, in anticipation of renewed IDF maneuvers.

The unease follows a deadly attack on Saturday in Gaza’s “Spinning Top Neighborhood” in Beit Hanoun, near the Israeli border. At 12:58 PM, Hamas operatives, emerging from a tunnel previously targeted by the IDF, fired an RPG at an unarmored military vehicle, seriously wounding three female combat intelligence soldiers. Approximately 30 minutes later, at 13:25, a powerful explosive device detonated near a rescue team, killing one IDF tracker and severely injuring two others, bringing the total casualties to one dead and five wounded.

The IDF believes Hamas may have detected its recent efforts to neutralize a tunnel in the buffer zone, prompting the group to activate it against Israeli forces. The tunnel, stretching from a Hamas outpost to the border, was part of ongoing IDF operations to secure the area. Despite efforts to locate the attackers, the IDF has not yet apprehended the terrorists, who may have fled to Beit Hanoun.

Last night, the IDF confirmed the death of Staff Sergeant Galb Sliman Al-Nasasra in the attack. The military is investigating whether the operation to destroy the tunnel triggered Hamas’s response, which included deploying explosives to target Israeli forces.