TEL AVIV, October 31. /TASS/. Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to attacks by the radical Palestinian group Hamas has entered its third stage which includes expanding ground operations in the enclave, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"We are in the midst of the war. We have set the clear goal of destroying Hamas's military and governing capabilities. We are doing this systematically," the press service quoted him as saying. "The first blocking stage is over. The 2nd stage, pounding them from the air is continuing all the time. The 3rd stage - the IDF has expanded its ground incursion inside the Gaza Strip. It is doing so in measured, very powerful, steps making methodical, step-by-step progress," Netanyahu explained.

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.