TEL AVIV, October 27. /TASS/. Units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered the Gaza Strip for a raid against the radical Palestinian group Hamas overnight on Friday, The Jerusalem Post reported.

According to the newspaper, infantry, armor and engineering troops from the 36th division took part in the raid, "attacking Hamas and terrorist targets," before returning to Israeli territory.

Earlier, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said that short-term raids in the Gaza Strip serve as groundwork for the operation’s next stages and will continue in the next few days.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the Gaza-based Palestinian radical group Hamas staged a surprise incursion into 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 on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, and has begun delivering air strikes on the enclave and certain parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are underway in the West Bank as well.

According to the latest official data, over 7,000 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed outbreak of violence, while almost 18,500 have suffered wounds. In Israel, more than 1,400 people have lost their lives and over 5,200 have been wounded.