Is Hamas rebuilding its operational capabilities at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza_ _ DW News

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00:00The Israeli military says it has launched a new ground offensive in Gaza.

00:04Israeli forces carried out intense bombardments on the Jabalia refugee camp, saying Hamas

00:09was regrouping there.

00:11Local officials in Gaza said the strikes resulted in many casualties.

00:16Israel also attacked what it said were two Hamas command centers, one in a former school

00:21and the other in a former mosque, killing dozens of people.

00:29Israelis raced to save lives in what remains of the Shuhada al-Aqsa mosque in Deir al-Bala.

00:37The tattered pages of these Korans, a stark reminder of the meaning of this place for

00:42many locals.

00:46Israel said in a statement that the mosque and former school had in fact been Hamas command

00:51centers hiding in plain sight.

00:56I have been living here since October 17th and I know this mosque.

01:04It shelters displaced people, elderly and homeless people who have lost their relatives

01:10and children.

01:14They were just looking for a place to sleep.

01:17The best option for them was the mosque.

01:20Those people had nothing to do with the war.

01:25The attack came less than a day after hundreds of families were forced to leave their homes

01:30in the nearby Nusayrat refugee camp on Israel's orders.

01:34Israel said it planned to operate against Hamas militants who were using the area as

01:39an attack base.

01:40The operations in central Gaza coincide with the start of an Israeli ground incursion into

01:46Bet Lahiya and Jabalia in the north and airstrikes which hit several buildings there.

01:53Israel said its forces were targeting Hamas militants and dismantling military infrastructure

01:58in the strip's largest refugee camp.

02:01Locals say entire families were wiped out in the camp's worst night in many months.

02:07Israel has now ordered residents to evacuate to designated safe areas in the south.

02:13But 90% of the population has been displaced already in the past year, many people multiple

02:19times and safe zones have been bombed in the past.

02:23Where can we possibly go?

02:25I don't know where I'm heading.

02:26They're not giving us any instructions.

02:28We refuse to go to the south.

02:30I would rather die here with my children.

02:33It's the same situation in the south.

02:36The latest strikes add to the mounting Palestinian death toll.

02:40A year on from the start of the current war, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says almost

02:4642,000 Palestinians have now been killed.

02:52Let's bring in journalist Balik Sladin, who joins us from Tel Aviv.

02:56Hello, Balik.

02:57So, Israel says it had intelligence indicating that Hamas was rebuilding its operational

03:02capabilities at the Jabalia refugee camp.

03:06Is that likely?

03:07Well, this is not surprising anyone in Israel.

03:13In fact, the last time that the Israeli troops operated in the north of the Gaza Strip, specifically

03:19in the area of Gaza City, was back in May, so, like, five months ago.

03:25And since then, according to some assessments, security assessments in Israel, Hamas still

03:31has thousands of operatives in the area of the north of the Gaza Strip, and they even

03:38tried to maybe build some sort of a small arms reproduction there, as well as recruiting

03:47new operatives from the younger people, from the youth there in the north of the Gaza Strip,

03:55since they have no other choice other than getting paid by Hamas.

04:00Of course, we're not talking about the same capabilities that Hamas had before October

04:047th or the beginning of the war, but still a threat that Israel needs also to say to

04:10Hamas that we didn't forget this main front for us, even though we operate in south of

04:17Lebanon and, of course, in the West Bank.

04:20And we're hearing that Israel is on high alert for potential attacks ahead of tomorrow's

04:26anniversary of the October 7th Hamas terror attacks.

04:31How is the country preparing?

04:33Well, last week, security officials in Israel said that Hamas might encourage Gazans on

04:43the day of October 7th, so tomorrow, to go to defense, to get closer to defense, or try

04:49to cross to the north of the Gaza Strip in large numbers.

04:53This scenario is being prepared for in Israel, but also in case of Hamas's own attacks against

05:01Israeli cities, in terms of maybe trying to cross defense toward the Israeli towns, specifically

05:13when the ceremonies, the October 7th ceremonies are taking place.

05:17That's why reinforcement for the Gaza division, so the southern command, has been carried

05:24out.

05:25And according to Israeli officials, a number of new battalions or companies have been added

05:33to the Gaza division.

05:35So any scenario where the Hamas militants would try to infiltrate inside Israel or,

05:44of course, fire rockets at Israeli towns during the times of the ceremonies, that's, of course,

05:53a scenario that Israel is prepared for, and, of course, that's why we are seeing these

06:00preparations right now.

06:03That was journalist Balik Sladin in Tel Aviv.

06:05Many thanks, indeed, for your reporting.

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