TEL AVIV, October 14. /TASS/. Israeli fighter jets struck several targets in the Gaza Strip on Friday, destroying dozens of militants of the Palestinian Hamas movement, the press service of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported.

"Last night [on Octover 13], IDF fighter jets conducted wide-scale strikes throughout the Gaza Strip. These included dozens of Hamas terror targets as well as Nukhba terrorist operatives that were in a staging ground in the Gaza Strip. Nukhba terrorist operatives were one of the leading forces that led the infiltration into Israel last Saturday [on October 7]," the IDF said in a statement published on its Telegram channel.

"Furthermore, over the last day, IDF fighter jets struck operational headquarters used by the Hamas terrorist organization from which the terrorist organization's aerial activity was managed. During the strike, IDF fighter jets killed Merad Abu Merad who was the head of the Hamas Aerial System in Gaza City, and was largely responsible for directing terrorists during the massacre on Saturday," the IDF added.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian Hamas movement staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip as it has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria.

According to the latest official data, more than 1,900 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed outbreak of violence, while over 7,700 others have suffered wounds. In Israel, over 1,500 people have lost their lives and roughly 4,000 have been wounded in clashes, including on the West Bank of the Jordan River.