TEL AVIV, October 27. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are rebuilding sections of the fence on the border with the Gaza Strip that were blown up by militants of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, The Jerusalem Post reported.

As Israel prepares for a ground operation, it needs to secure the border so that troops in Gaza would be safe not only from the rear, the newspaper said, recalling that the construction of the fence, which Hamas militants broke through in 29 places with explosives and bulldozers, cost $1 billion. According to the newspaper, the Israeli servicemen have been demining and installing new security systems along the fence around the clock. The army assures that all necessary sensors and other equipment are almost completely repaired.

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. Clashes are underway in the West Bank of the Jordan River as well.

According to the latest official data from the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed outbreak of violence, while over 18,500 others have suffered wounds. In Israel, over 1,400 people have lost their lives and roughly 5,200 have been wounded in clashes, including on the West Bank of the Jordan River.