The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Wednesday the end of a two-week military operation in Gaza City's eastern Shejaiya district, where it claimed to have eliminated dozens of Hamas fighters and destroyed several underground tunnels.
"Eight terrorist tunnels were destroyed in Shejaiya as our troops completed their mission in the area," the IDF said in a statement, adding that weapons, laptops, and communications equipment had been found in the tunnels.
Israel sent ground troops back into the neighborhood in late June after receiving intelligence about attempts by the Palestinian movement Hamas to regain control of the area.
Hours before the final push, the IDF ordered people sheltering in the Palestinian enclave's main city to immediately evacuate, saying the war-ravaged city would become a combat zone.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed, and some 240 others were abducted during the attack.
Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. As many as 120 hostages are believed to be still held by Hamas in Gaza, including 43 who are feared to have died in captivity.
More than 38,243 people have been killed and over 87,900 others have been wounded in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel's military operations, Gaza authorities said.