Israeli military officials said their bombardment of Gaza may “intensify” in the final hours before a four-day ceasefire begins early Friday — as reports say Hamas morale has plummeted, causing many terrorists to retreat south.
“[It’s] business as usual,” said Lt. Col Richard Hecht, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), told reporters Thursday.
Artillery airstrikes “may even intensify” in the coming hours, Recht added, according to NBC News.
Israeli shells have been reported falling north of Gaza and in the southern city of Khan Younis Thursday, according to the BBC, while heavy fighting is still raging in northern sections of the city.
Meanwhile, some Hamas terrorists have abandoned their guns and fled south as the IDF continues to gain ground and has successfully eliminated senior officials, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The ceasefire — mediated by Qatar, where the Hamas terror group’s top brass resides — is set to begin 7 a.m. Friday local time (12 a.m. ET).
Up to 50 hostages are expected to be handed over beginning at 4 p.m. in return for 150 Palestinian prisoners and truckloads of humanitarian aid and fuel.
Amidst the carnage, stray dogs have reportedly begun feeding on dead bodies strewn amongst the ruins of Gaza City, Qatar officials said in a grave assessment of the state of affairs on the ground.
“Dogs are eating the corpses of dead people on the streets,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told the Independent.
“We are facing a humanitarian situation that is unparalleled,” Al-Ansari added.
The apocalyptic scene echoes recent testimony from the head of UK-based non-profit Medical Aid for Palestinians.
“Dozens of bodies are piled up in the hospital forecourt, decomposing and being eaten by wild dogs as the morgue has shut down – and nobody can move them for burial,” Melanie Ward, the chief executive of Medical Aid for Palestinians testified to the UK Parliament’s international development committee earlier this month, The Telegraph reported.
The Hamas-run government claims over 14,500 people have been killed across the Gaza Strip since Israel opened its retaliation against the terror group for its sneak October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis and 240 taken hostage.
Swathes of Gaza have been secured by Israeli troops, who are continuing to comb through the elaborate tunnel network beneath the city and root out the terrorists.
One of those tunnels was reportedly discovered beneath the al-Shifa hospital last week, indicating the terror group had been exploiting international humanitarian law intended to protect civilian medical centers during wartime.
“The Hamas terror tunnel network situated under the hospital [has] exploited electricity and resources taken from the hospital. In addition, Hamas stored numerous weapons inside the hospital and on the hospital grounds,” the Israeli military said.
The IDF has released videos of weapons stockpiled behind an MRI machine in the hospital.
“Furthermore, after the Hamas massacre on 7 October, Hamas terrorists sought refuge within the hospital, some of them taking hostages from Israel with them.”
Hamas has denied the accusations.
However, to further support their claims, Israel released extensive footage and images on Wednesday showing a rare peek into Hamas’ 300-mile-long underground tunnel system through an entrance uncovered at the al-Shifa Hospital.
On Thursday, Israel confirmed hospital director Dr. Abu Salmiya had been stopped at a checkpoint and was taken into custody for questioning “following evidence showing that al-Shifa Hospital, under his direct management, served as a Hamas command and control center.”
The hospital, meanwhile, has evacuated its patients and staff south ahead of the ceasefire.