TEL AVIV, February 8. /TASS/. The Israeli army has destroyed dozens of armed radicals during fighting in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the press service of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported.

"In Khan Yunis (in the south of the Gaza Strip - TASS), IDF troops identified and killed over 20 terrorists during offensives on terror targets," the statement said. In addition, in the area, "IDF troops killed two terrorists in close-quarters combat," as well as "identified and killed a terrorist positioned on the roof of a school using precise fire." "IDF troops are continuing intensive operations in terrorist hubs in western Khan Yunis. Over the past day, IDF troops have apprehended dozens of individuals suspected of involvement in terrorist activity, including two terrorists who participated in the October 7th massacre," the press service added.

"In the northern Gaza Strip, IDF troops killed ten terrorists in various encounters during the day, terrorists carried out anti-tank missile fire toward a tank," after which "the troops identified the terrorists who fired at them and directed an IDF fighter jet which struck and killed the terrorist cell," the press service said. "During intelligence gathering activity in the northern Gaza Strip, IDF troops identified a terrorist cell that attempted to transfer technological systems to the Hamas terrorist organization," the military added. "The troops activated a drone that killed the terrorist cell."

"In the central Gaza Strip, IDF troops killed a number of terrorists over the past day. In one of the activities, the troops struck Hamas military infrastructure and killed four terrorists belonging to the organization," the army added.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, 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 240 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 before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.