TEL AVIV, October 13. /TASS/. The Israeli servicemen continue the operation in the Gaza Strip against the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, attacking about 40 different targets there over the pas 24 hours, the army press service reported.
In addition, according to the Israeli army, "dozens" of Palestinian radicals were "eliminated" during battles in the enclave over the past day. The military also found many weapons and explosives.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 250 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as retaliation for the aggressive actions taken by 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, launching air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria before starting a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave.