The IDF used tanks to mark the Star of David onto the floor of a Hamas training ground in Gaza City where the terror group has trained fighters.
The tanks can be seen roaming across the soil on a battle-worn strip of land with Israel flags displayed before they are shown in a line pumping out blue and white smoke as the finished product is displayed.
The formation, performed by fighters from the Golani Brigade in the Kativa outpost, formed part of a ceremony in memory of comrades who have fallen since the start of the war, according to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, who posted the video on X.
Hagari wrote: ‘In the parade ground of the ‘Kativa’ outpost in the heart of Gaza City, where terrorists of the terrorist organization Hamas were trained, fighters of the 13th and 51st Battalions of the Golani Brigade performed a combat ceremony in memory of their comrades who fell in the battles since the beginning of the fighting.’
He said that at the location terrorists from Hamas and GAP held parades and ceremonies, and nearby Hamas terrorists set out to massacre Israelis on October 7.
The tanks can be seen roaming across the soil on a battle-worn strip
They then form a line pumping out blue and white smoke as the finished product is displayed
Haragri continued: ‘The soldiers of the Golani Brigade held a battle formation on the spot as a sign of commemoration and remembrance in memory of the 72 martyrs of the Golani Brigade, their comrades who fell in the battles from the beginning of the fighting.
‘In the place where the terrorist organization Hamas organized and trained its forces, Golani’s 13th and 51st battalions chose to deliver a clear message to the organization’s operatives.’
He added that Golani Brigade troops fought Hamas terrorists on the morning of October 7 and suffered many casualties.
He said: ‘These days, Golani fighters are fighting deep inside the territory of the Gaza Strip in intense battles, thwarting and damaging the terrorist infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hamas.’
The tanks could be seen carrying Israel flags
Smoke billows following an air strike on the northern part of the Gaza Strip, as seen from Sderot, southern Israel, 17 November 2023
A man walks amid rubble of destroyed buildings after Israeli attack on Nuseirat Camp, Gaza on November 17, 2023
Hagari also noted that the IDF and the Golani Brigade are helping the bereaved families during this difficult time and that at the end of the war the commanders and fighters will continue to assist the families.
Israel has concentrated its heavy bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza City, announcing this week the seizure of the parliament building, government offices, Hamas police headquarters and a key port.
Last Saturday, the IDF said soldiers of its Golani Infantry Brigade had led ‘significant’ battles against the Hamas terror group’s Sabra-Tel al-Hawa battalion in the Gaza Strip in recent days.
It said the Golani Brigade and the 188th Armored Brigade’s 53rd Battalion carried out raids in the southern part of Gaza City’s Sheikh Ijlin neighbourhood, during which there were ‘significant battles with Hamas terrorists’.
The troops killed several Hamas operatives and destroyed infrastructure held by the Sabra-Tel al-Hawa battalion, including tunnel shafts, rocket launchers, weapons depots, and observation posts, the IDF said.
Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas in retaliation for the attacks of October 7.
Since the start of the war, around 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial attack, and around 240 were taken captive by terrorists.
An IDF soldier makes a heart with his hands while inside a tank on November 17, 2023
At least 11,470 Palestinians – two-thirds of them women and minors – have been killed since the war began, according to Palestinian health authorities, who do not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 2,700 people are reported missing.
Israeli forces were searching building to building at Gaza’s main hospital today as Hamas said the military had ‘destroyed’ parts of the compound where concern has mounted for Palestinians trapped inside.
Soldiers raided Al-Shifa since early on Wednesday in the hunt for a command centre they say the terrorists built below the complex, a charge denied by Hamas and managers at the hospital which has become a focal point of the war.
The Israeli military said it found rifles, ammunition and explosives at the Gaza City hospital, as well as computers and equipment containing ‘information and footage pertaining to the hostages’ taken in Hamas’s shock October 7 attack on Israel.
The body of a woman taken captive in the attack was also found close to the hospital, the Israeli army said.