Israel Begins Ground Operation in Gaza's Hamas Stronghold, Expands Military Activities

Israeli forces have launched military ground operations in Gaza, targeting the Hamas stronghold of Rafah as part of efforts to dismantle the group's terrorist infrastructure, officials confirmed Thursday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that ground operations are underway in the "Shavura" neighborhood of Rafah, as well as in parts of central and northern Gaza. According to the IDF, these operations have already resulted in the destruction of multiple terrorist facilities.

Hamas has allegedly been using the northern Gaza site of a former "Turkish" hospital as a command and control center for directing terrorist attacks against Israel and IDF troops. In response, the IDF has dismantled this infrastructure, continuing its push against militant operations.

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes remain relentless, targeting and neutralizing terrorist elements and their infrastructure across Gaza. The military campaign follows the collapse of a brief ceasefire after Hamas reportedly rejected offers to release hostages kidnapped during the October 7 attacks.

The IDF has also extended its operations beyond Gaza, striking sites in Lebanon. These included underground Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in the Beqaa area and rocket launcher sites in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah militants are known to operate. Tensions escalated further Thursday night when sirens blared across multiple areas in Israel due to a projectile launched from Yemen, the IDF said.

Adding to the turmoil, a holy site sacred to Christians, Muslims, and Jews was reportedly targeted by Yemen-based Houthi rebels, who have also attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea and U.S. naval forces in support of Hamas.

In a separate development, the IDF announced the elimination of senior Hamas leaders and a key figure from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, marking significant progress in its counter-terrorism operations.

Senator John Fetterman, who was visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when sirens went off, shared a video on social media. "Imagine living under these conditions," he wrote, urging continued U.S. support to protect Israel against such threats.