The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Sunday that it would attack Hamas in northern Gaza, principally around the area of Jabaliya, and has warned residents to leave, while expanding the humanitarian zone further south.

In a statement, the IDF said:

Following prior IDF intelligence, an ongoing situational assessment, and IDF activity in the field that all indicated the presence of terrorists and terror infrastructure in the area of Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as efforts by Hamas to rebuild its operational capabilities in the area, the 162nd Division began operating in the Jabaliya area overnight (Sunday).

The troops of the 401st Brigade and the 460th Brigade have successfully encircled the area and are currently continuing to operate in the area.

Prior to and during the operation, the IAF struck dozens of military targets in order to assist IDF ground troops. Among the targets struck were weapons storage facilities, underground infrastructure sites, terrorist cells, and additional military infrastructure sites. 

This operation to systematically dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area will continue as long as required in order to achieve its objectives.

All of Hamas’s battalions have been smashed, but the terrorist organization continues to function in a guerrilla mode.

Residents of Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, were also ordered to evacuate for the first time since the war began.

The IDF continues to fight in Gaza and on other fronts, even as it pushes forward into southern Lebanon. The multi-front war is a necessity but also a symbol of Israeli strength and capabilities on the eve of the October 7 anniversary.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.