TEL AVIV, October 31. /TASS/. The Israeli military reports fierce fighting against Hamas radicals "deep in the Gaza Strip."

The Times of Israel said on Tuesday, citing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that Israeli soldiers are engaged in "fierce battles against Hamas terrorists deep in the Gaza Strip."

Apart from that, according to the IDF, "over the last few hours, combined forces led by IDF ground troops, struck a Hamas terrorist outpost in the northern Gaza Strip."

"In addition, the forces killed dozens of terrorists, struck anti-tank missile launching cells and anti-tank missile launch and observation posts, and confiscated numerous weapons, including guns and explosive devices," it said.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory, killing many Israelis living in the settlements near the border and abducting more than 200 people, including children, women and the elderly. 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.