TEL AVIV, December 8. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has struck 450 air, sea and land targets of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the army's press service reported.

"Over the past day, approximately 450 targets were struck from the air, sea, and ground as IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip continued extensive battles with terrorists," the statement said.

"As part of IDF activity in Khan Yunis, IDF troops directed IAF aircraft to kill numerous terrorists in a two-hour series of precise strikes," the press service added. "Three terrorists identified by the troops were struck by a UAV. Two of them were killed and the third one revealed the location of the other terrorists who were hiding in a military compound preparing to launch rocket fire at our forces," the military reported.

"IDF troops and aircraft killed all of the terrorists in a series of aerial strikes. In addition, in an overnight activity against Hamas naval and intelligence capabilities, Israeli Navy forces used precise ammunition to strike dozens of terror infrastructure sites used by the Hamas naval forces in the central and southern Gaza Strip," the press service said. Among the targets struck, the military said, were "military sites and posts where Hamas terrorists were operating, observation posts, and storage compounds containing weapons." "IDF Naval forces continue to cooperate with ground troops to strike terror infrastructure," the army's press service concluded.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 200 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. 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 declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.