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Middle East conflict

Israeli army says it struck more than 300 targets in Gaza over past day

The military also said that it had conducted a raid in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave

TEL AVIV, December 20. /TASS/. The Israeli military attacked more than 300 facilities in the Gaza Strip over the past day, the army's press service reported.

"IDF troops are continuing to operate against terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip, conducting close-quarters combat with terrorists on the ground and directing aircraft to strike armed terrorist cells and weapons. In joint ground, aerial and naval operations, strikes were carried out on dozens of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure. More than 300 terror targets were struck over the last day," the statement said.

The military also said that it had conducted a raid in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave. "After terrorists fired at [Israeli] troops in the southern Gaza Strip, the troops carried out a targeted raid on military command and control centers in the area of Khan Yunis where the terrorists fired from and stored weapons. Rifles, ammunition, explosive devices, and approximately 20 mortar shells were located by troops at the site," the press service said.

In addition, "IDF troops directed an IAF fighter jet to strike a launch post from which rockets were fired toward Israeli civilians" the day before, the army said.

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.

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