JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

The Israeli army said Tuesday evening that its forces have fully encircled the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun and now control 65% of the entire enclave.

The announcement came a day after five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 wounded, including two critically, in a Hamas ambush in the same town.

“IDF (army) troops are currently encircling the Beit Hanoun area from all directions,” military spokesman Effie Defrin said in a prerecorded statement.

He claimed that the town contains dozens of Palestinian fighters and “numerous underground tunnels that must be dismantled." "We will continue to strike," he added.

Defrin also said that the army currently holds 65% of the 365-square-kilometer Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army has killed nearly 57,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.