Troops of the Northern Brigade and the Yahalom Unit, under the command of the 252nd Division, have been operating in recent months in the Beit Hanoun area, east of the Yellow Line, to dismantle terrorist infrastructure above and below ground, and to defend the communities of the western Negev.
The Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza was one of the main and most complex combat areas in which the troops operated throughout the war. During combat in the area, the troops encountered terrorists and acted swiftly and efficiently. IDF troops fell in defense of the communities of the western Negev and in the effort to defeat the Beit Hanoun Battalion.
For years, the area served as a central Hamas terrorist stronghold. Hamas terrorists operated from terrorist infrastructure embedded in the heart of the civilian population. Over the years, an underground network was built beneath residential homes, public institutions, and roads, which was used by the terrorists to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.
As part of the engineering operation, the troops conducted hundreds of operations, locating and dismantled more than 11 kilometers of underground tunnel routes. In addition, hundreds of terrorist infrastructure sites above ground were dismantled.
During combat in the area throughout the war, an additional three kilometers of underground tunnel routes were dismantled, and numerous terrorists were eliminated by the various brigades that operated in the area.
