By Abdelraouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army announced on Friday that it had completed a "military operation" in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, nearly a week after it began.
“The combat team of Brigade 14 has completed the operation in Al-Bureij camp that began about a week ago,” the army said in a statement.
Separately, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi stated that the army currently has seven military divisions, with three stationed in Gaza and four in southern Lebanon.
On Thursday, the Israeli army said Halevi and Shin Bet security agency Director Ronen Bar conducted a joint security assessment in southern Lebanon for the first time.
According to the statement, Halevi said: “We now have seven maneuvering divisions, three of which are operating in Gaza, in the southern, central, and northern sectors of the Strip, and four divisions are participating in maneuvers here in southern Lebanon.
“The army is also active in many other areas, with naval, air, and special operations forces operating based on intelligence in a significant number of fronts.
“We are working in all areas, including the Bekaa Valley, Beirut, and both north and south of the Litani River, and these combined efforts are having a very strong effect,” Halevi added.
Last Saturday, the Israeli army warned Palestinians residing in large areas of the Al-Bureij and Al-Nuseirat camps in central Gaza to evacuate their homes in preparation for a military offensive in the region.
The army claimed that Hamas and other Palestinian factions were continuing their activities and threatened to take action against them.
According to an Anadolu correspondent, Israeli planes dropped leaflets over the Al-Bureij and Al-Nuseirat camps, containing maps with numbered areas where residents were asked to evacuate.
The army urged civilians to move toward areas west of Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis in central and southern Gaza.
Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
More than 42,100 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 98,100 injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio