WATCH: IDF eliminates terrorists hiding among rubble in a house; destruction of 8 tunnels ends Shejaiya operation

IDF denies full Gaza City evacuation, Hamas threatens to leave negotiations

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Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday that after two weeks, the large-scale raid in the Shejaiya neighborhood in Gaza City had concluded with the destruction of two large underground tunnels.

Soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade, the 7th Armored Brigade and the elite combat engineering unit Yahalom raided the once well-known terror stronghold, killing at least 150 terrorists and destroying eight tunnels spreading over six kilometers (almost 4 miles), which included living quarters and command rooms.

According to the IDF statement, during the last day of the operation, paratroopers encountered a terror squad and fought a close-quarter battle.

During the fighting, the Israeli soldiers spotted two terrorists hiding among rubble with the help of a drone. After attempting to fire at the drone, the terrorists were killed by tank fire.

IDF soldiers also eliminated dozens of terrorists and destroyed battle compounds and booby-trapped buildings.

On the last day of operations, two tunnels containing weapons, laptops and communication equipment, as well as electricity and gas infrastructure, were destroyed.

In a separate statement, senior IDF officials told Israeli news outlets that contrary to prior reports, the IDF didn’t call on Gazans to evacuate all of Gaza City.

“There are instructions to evacuate some neighborhoods where the IDF operates, as well as a policy like it was in Khan Younis, [to evacuate] neighborhoods from which rockets are fired,” the officials said.

The IDF’s recent intense operations, including the raid in Shejaiya, operations in Rafah and Gaza City, and an alleged Israeli strike that killed dozens in Khan Younis, have prompted Hamas to threaten to withdraw from the ongoing truce negotiations.

According to the AFP news agency, senior Hamas official Hussam Badran said on Wednesday that Israel wanted to pressure Hamas into accepting a deal by intensifying its attacks, which he called “bombing operations, displacement and committing massacres.”

In the face of Israel’s recent actions, Badran said, “We cannot determine to what extent the negotiations can proceed despite the flexibility we have shown.”