Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz released an aerial photo on Friday showing the complete destruction of the city of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, boasting that it had been "razed to the ground."
On the X platform, Katz commented on the photo, saying, "After Rafah and Beit Hanoun, there is no refuge for terrorism."
The aerial image shows vast areas of rubble and devastation. Nothing remains of Beit Hanoun, which borders the southern border with Israel, except scattered ruins and the remains of completely destroyed buildings, a scene that reflects the scale of the disaster that befell the area.
Beit Hanoun was the first area the Israeli army entered, at the start of its ground invasion of Gaza on October 28, 2023, as part of an ongoing war of extermination that has left widespread destruction and more than 195,000 Palestinian dead and wounded.
Despite the passage of more than 21 months since the start of the war of extermination, which began on October 7, 2023, Palestinian factions continue to carry out sophisticated ambushes in the region, killing and wounding Israeli forces, indicating Tel Aviv's inability to fully achieve the war's objectives.
The Israeli army acknowledged the deaths of five soldiers from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, part of the Kfir Brigade, and the wounding of 14 others, two of whom were seriously injured, in a battle that took place in Beit Hanoun last Monday.
An army investigation later revealed that Hamas fighters detonated three explosive devices at a battalion infantry unit in Beit Hanoun, then engaged them with machine guns.
Beit Hanoun is located on the northern border of the Gaza Strip and has been under Israeli fire control for months, using warplanes and artillery, while army units conducted limited patrols inside and around the town.
The town has been subjected to intense Israeli airstrikes for days amid ongoing escalation on the ground. The Israeli army announced Tuesday evening that it was besieging the town from all sides.
On June 2, 2024, the Municipal Emergency Committee in northern Gaza declared Beit Hanoun a "disaster area" due to ongoing Israeli airstrikes, the near-total destruction of vital infrastructure and services, and the collapse of the humanitarian situation.
According to previous figures from the Beit Hanoun Municipality, approximately 60,000 people lived in the town, which covers an area of approximately 17,000 dunams (one dunam equals 1,000 square meters), before the start of the recent war of extermination.
Katz's publication of the image showing Beit Hanoun being razed to the ground comes amid growing international criticism of Israel's policies in Gaza, amid accusations of "genocide" and a scorched-earth policy targeting civilians and their livelihoods, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
שתף את דעתך
Following Rafah, Israel's Defense Minister boasts of razing Beit Hanoun to the ground.