Israeli army expands ground campaign in Gaza, attacks 600 Hamas targets

The Israeli military press service said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued to expand ground operations in the Gaza Strip, attacking more than 600 military targets of the extremist Hamas movement in the area in recent days.

“Overnight, the IDF continued its ground operations in the Gaza Strip. In addition, over the past few days, the IDF has struck more than 600 terrorist targets, including weapons depots, dozens of anti-tank missile launch sites, as well as hideouts and bases used by the Hamas terrorist organization,” the statement said.

"During clashes with terrorists in the Gaza Strip, IDF soldiers eliminated dozens of terrorists entrenched in buildings and tunnels and attempting to attack the army. During the night, IDF forces identified armed terrorists and an anti-tank missile launch site in the Al-Azhar University area and directed a fighter jet to attack them," the Israeli military said in a statement.

The military added that "an IDF aircraft guided by IDF ground forces attacked a rest stop inside a building belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization, with more than 20 Hamas terrorist members inside."

According to TASS, tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the Palestinian extremist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing several residents of Israeli border settlements and taking many others hostage, including children, women and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the Israeli authorities' aggressive actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City. Israel has declared a blockade of the entire Gaza Strip and carried out airstrikes on Gaza as well as several areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.