TEL AVIV, April 10. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continues operations in the central Gaza Strip, striking dozens of Hamas facilities in the enclave over the past 24 hours, the army press service reported.
"IDF troops are continuing to operate in the central Gaza Strip and killed a number of terrorists over the past day. During a close-quarters encounter, IDF troops killed a terrorist cell that posed a threat to the troops," the statement said. "Furthermore, an IAF aircraft also struck a Hamas terrorist cell that posed a threat to IDF troops operating in the area," the Israeli military added. The press service pointed out that "over the past day, IDF fighter jets and aircraft struck dozens of terror targets in the Gaza Strip, including military sites, launchers, tunnel shafts, and infrastructure."
According to the military, "a number of launches were identified toward IDF troops operating in the area of Shejaiya in the northern Gaza Strip." "In response, an IDF fighter jet struck the launcher from which the launches were fired," the press service said. In addition, "a launch was identified from Jabalya toward Kibbutz Kfar Aza that was intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense Array," the IDF pointed out.
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.