ISTANBUL

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz shared an aerial photo Friday that showed the destruction of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, boasting of "leveling it to the ground."

Katz commented on the photo on X and said: "After Rafah and Beit Hanoun ... there is no refuge for terrorism.”

The photo, taken from the air, shows vast areas of rubble and devastation, with nothing left in Beit Hanoun -- which borders the southern frontier with Israel -- except scattered ruins and destroyed buildings, depicting the scale of the disaster that has struck the area.

Beit Hanoun was among the first areas the Israeli army entered during its initial ground invasion of Gaza on Oct. 28, 2023.

Despite more than 21 months since the start of the genocidal war on Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinian factions continue to conduct well-planned ambushes in the area, inflicting casualties on Israeli forces, showcasing Tel Aviv’s inability to achieve its war objectives.

The Israeli army acknowledged the deaths of five soldiers from the "Netzah Yehuda" Battalion of the "Kfir" Brigade and injury to 14 others, including two with serious wounds, in a battle in Beit Hanoun last Monday.

Later, an army investigation revealed that Hamas fighters detonated three explosive devices against a foot patrol of the battalion in Beit Hanoun, then engaged them with machine guns.

Beit Hanoun lies on the northern border of the Gaza Strip and in recent months was under Israeli fire control via warplanes and artillery, while army units conducted limited patrols inside and around the town.

In recent days, the town has witnessed intensive Israeli airstrikes amid a ground escalation, with Israel announcing last Tuesday that it had besieged the town from all directions.

On June 2, 2024, the Municipal Emergency Committee in northern Gaza declared Beit Hanoun a "disaster area" due to Israeli strikes, near-total destruction of infrastructure and vital services, and a collapse of the humanitarian situation.

According to previous figures from the Beit Hanoun Municipality, 60,000 people lived in the town, which spans 17,000 dunams (one dunam equals 1,000 square meters), before the start of the most recent genocidal war.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since late October 2023, killing nearly 57,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children. 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.