Continuous, intensive bombing, and several days of ground fighting. On Wednesday, November 8, the Israeli army strengthened its grip on northern Gaza. A group of “20 Heures” from France 2 managed to board a tank with the Israeli army on the condition that the exact location of the target was not revealed. There are only two or three kilometers, but they will be done in armored vehicles.

Through a small opening, journalist Agnes Vahramian looks at the security barrier separating Israel from Gaza. “We are entering Gaza and we are taking the same route that the terrorists took to get to Israel on October 7th.“, she testifies.

In Petanaun, the closest town to Israel, the scale of the destruction and the noise of the explosions are impressive. Airstrikes, artillery attacks… the war has taken its toll on the buildings and street layout of this area north of the Gaza Strip. The army can advance only with armored bulldozers.

Hamas “Prepared the Ground for Our Arrival”

“Every two or three buildings, by our count, have explosives, booby trapssays Col. Ivory Elbas, who commands the 3,000-strong brigade. One of these traps exploded in a burning house. Hamas knew that the Israeli army would go here to enter Gaza. “I was very impressed with the way they prepared the ground for our arrival.” The soldier continues.

People left for the south. Colonel Ivory Elbas shows France 2 a hole in the ground. A Hamas tunnel, he explains “Among the Houses of the Commons”, Near a school. How far does this underground passage go? The colonel shrugs silently. We must first take cover and turn to Israel.