TEL AVIV, November 2. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are continuing the offensive in the Gaza City area, expanding the fighting and destroying the defensive lines of the Palestinian radical Hamas movement in the north of the strip, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari has said.

"IDF soldiers continue their offensive in the Gaza City area, fighting Hamas terrorists and expanding the operation. Soldiers are continuing to destroy Hamas defense lines in the northern Gaza Strip and working to secure the central areas [of the enclave]. We keep stepping up activities and are advancing in accordance with the plans and goals we have set," he told a news briefing.

Hagari also said that "during the night, IDF units fought against a large number of terrorists who attempted to ambush the soldiers."

"After several hours of fighting, including with the support of aircraft and missile boats, many terrorists were destroyed," he continued. Hagari said Israel "has advantage in every battle" and "will continue to advance."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, with mass killings of civilians in border communities and the taking of 200 hundred hostages, including children, women and elderly people. Hamas described its operation as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and carried out air strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as some areas of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.