Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., December 28, 2023)

The combat arena: The IDF forces continued to attack terrorist targets in a number of central locations in the Gaza Strip, among them Daraj and Tufah in the northern Gaza Strip, the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip and Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, where the IDF expanded its activity. In Rantisi Hospital in Gaza City, the IDF completed the destruction of the underground tunnel complex. Meanwhile, activity began in the area of Khirbat Khiza’a in the southern Gaza Strip near the Israeli border. The Palestinians reported that the IDF’s ground maneuver in the central Gaza Strip focused on the Juhor al-Dik area (Wadi Gaza) and the al-Bureij refugee camp, which control the Salah al-Din road, the main road running the length of the Gaza Strip. Hamas’ military-terrorist wing announced it was using “new weapons.”