NEW YORK, October 31. /TASS/. More than 20,000 Israeli troops have entered the Gaza Strip since the military expanded its ground operations on October 27, Axios reported, citing sources.

The report said at least two Israeli armored and infantry divisions have entered the area. The website also reported that the Israel Defense Forces uses intelligence sources inside Gaza to locate and free hostages.

Most firefights have so far happened in open areas outside Gaza City, Axios reported.

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7, accompanied by killings of residents of Israeli settlements near the border and taking hostages, including children, women and elderly people. Hamas regards the attack as a response to Israeli actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel has declared a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and has started delivering strikes on that area and parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank. Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Daniel Hagari on October 27 said the ground operation in the Gaza Strip was expanding.