TEL AVIV, October 13. /TASS/. Raids were carried out inside the Gaza Strip on Friday for the first time since October 7, the Israel Defense Forces’ press service reported.

"Over the past 24 hours, the IDF conducted raids in the Gaza Strip, seeking to eliminate the threat from terrorists and weapons in that area and to find hostages. Soldiers conducted searches and collected evidence that will help locate the hostages," the statement said.

The IDF added that "the troops also neutralized terrorist cells and infrastructure in the area, including a Hamas unit that fired anti-tank rockets into Israel."

The Israeli military reported the Israeli Air Force "continued to conduct strikes on Hamas terrorist sites in the Gaza Strip as well as anti-tank rocket launchers immediately after Israel was attacked with them."

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank. More than 1,800 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,000 others injured. In Israel, at least 1,500 people have lost their lives and almost 4,000 have been wounded.