TEL AVIV, February 13. /TASS/. The Israeli military wiped out dozens of armed radicals in combat operations in the Gaza Strip in the past day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

"IDF troops continued operational activities in western Khan Yunis (in the southern Gaza Strip - TASS). The troops killed over 30 terrorists and strengthened operational control of the area with targeted raids on terrorist infrastructure, sniper ambushes and patrols," according to the statement. "Additionally, IDF troops identified a number of terrorists transferring explosive devices on a motorcycle in the area of Khan Yunis. The troops targeted an aircraft that struck and eliminated the terrorist cell," the IDF added.

Also, "two terrorists attempted to move under the cover of the Gazan civilian population" in western Khan Yunis, as "one of the terrorists was identified pointing a pistol at an IDF vehicle, the Israeli military reported. "The troops immediately responded, killing the two terrorists," the IDF said, describing this as another example of "Hamas’ systematic use of the civilian population as a human shield for its military activities in the Gaza Strip." Additionally, IDF troops "directed strikes on two weapons storage facilities located inside the residences of terrorists," the Israeli army said.

In central Gaza, the IDF continued, Israeli troops killed approximately ten terrorists over the past 24-hour period. "During the activity, the troops identified a terrorist cell entering a compound from where an anti-tank missile was being prepared to fire at IDF troops. Within a few minutes, an IDF fighter jet targeted and killed the terrorists," the IDF concluded.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 240 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ aggressive actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a ground operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.