TEL AVIV, April 9. /TASS/. The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on 45 military facilities belonging to radicals in Gaza in the past day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
"Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force attacked 45 terrorist facilities across the Gaza Strip. The attacks targeted a weapons production site for terrorist organizations in Gaza, a launch site containing rockets ready to be launched, military buildings, weapons depots, and terrorist cells," the statement reads.
The IDF added that Israeli forces "continue ground operations in the Gaza Strip, destroying terrorist infrastructure and terrorists." In particular, Israeli troops "are expanding their operation in the Tel al-Sultan area" in the city of Rafah, where "they discovered tunnels and destroyed terrorist facilities in the past 24 hours."
On March 23, the IDF announced that Israeli forces had concluded the encirclement of Tel al-Sultan, with the purpose of the operation being "to dismantle terror infrastructure sites and eliminate terrorists in the area, in order to reinforce control and expand the security zone in southern Gaza."
In addition, the troops of the 36th Division "continue operations in the Rafah and Morag Axis area," where the IDF had not operated before, the IDF added. On April 2, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel was taking control of the Morag Axis in Gaza to make it a second Philadelphi Corridor, which is a 15-kilometer long buffer area along the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Besides, the 252nd Division continues to operate in the Shujayya area in northern Gaza. "Several terrorists and a weapons depot were eliminated in the area in the past 24 hours," the IDF added.