Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in Gaza as satellite images revealed new Israeli military bases inside the Strip and Netanyahu admitted the 2017 assassination.
Key Developments
- Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinians in Jabaliya during continued field operations in northern Gaza.
- Large-scale demolitions targeted residential blocks in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and surrounding areas.
- Israeli aircraft, tanks, and helicopters carried out heavy shelling across multiple parts of the Strip.
- Satellite images revealed newly constructed Israeli military bases despite the ceasefire agreement.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially acknowledged the 2017 assassination of Mazen Fuqaha.
Killings, Demolitions Continue
Israeli forces killed two Palestinians on Friday in the town of Jabaliya in northern Gaza amid ongoing military escalation across the enclave, according to local sources.
The two were shot in Jabaliya al-Balad and the Al-Waha area while Israeli forces continued live fire operations in the area.
At dawn, Israeli troops carried out extensive demolition operations targeting residential buildings northeast of Gaza City. Residents reported massive explosions as entire housing blocks were destroyed.
Further demolitions struck northern areas of the Strip, shaking surrounding neighborhoods as additional civilian buildings were blown up.
In southern Gaza, Israeli forces detonated buildings southeast of Khan Yunis while conducting intensive military movements around the city.
Israeli helicopters opened heavy fire in Rafah while armored vehicles shelled several neighborhoods amid continuous aerial surveillance.
Israeli tanks fired heavily toward eastern and southern Khan Yunis, and warplanes bombed a home belonging to the Abu Hatab family in the Khan Yunis refugee camp overnight.
The escalation comes despite the ceasefire agreement that took effect in October under US guarantees and mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye.
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Military Bases Revealed
Satellite images showed Israel expanding its military presence inside Gaza even after the start of the ceasefire’s second phase, Al-Jazeera Arabic reported.
Images comparing pre-December and recent photographs revealed that empty land near Khan Yunis was transformed into a fortified military base containing vehicles, field installations, and earthen barriers.
A second base was constructed nearby close to the “Yellow Line,” the separation route marking Israeli deployment areas.
In northern Gaza, satellite imagery also detected logistical movements and armored transport activity in areas that previously had no military presence.
Near Jabaliya, locations that showed no military infrastructure before December now contain Israeli fortifications.
The “Yellow Line” divides Gaza between Israeli deployment zones in the east — about 53 percent of the territory — and western areas where Palestinians are permitted limited movement.
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Israel Admits Fuqaha Assassination
In a separate development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially acknowledged Israel’s responsibility for the 2017 assassination of Qassam Brigades commander Mazen Fuqaha.
According to Israeli Channel 15, the admission appeared in official responses submitted to Israel’s State Comptroller after years of denial.
Netanyahu confirmed the killing was carried out through recruitment of a Palestinian collaborator, Ashraf Abu Leila, who shot Fuqaha outside his home in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City.
The assassination took place in March 2017 and had previously been attributed to Israeli intelligence without formal acknowledgment.
Fuqaha was a senior Qassam figure and a key organizer of resistance activity in the occupied West Bank before being deported to Gaza in the 2011 prisoner exchange.
The admission marks the first official Israeli confirmation of direct responsibility for the operation.
(QNN, AJA, AA, PC)
