Last Updated: October 27, 2023, 11:37 IST
An Israeli soldier uses a tank during a military drill near Israel’s border with Lebanon in northern Israel, October 26, 2023. (Reuters)
Israel overnight sent tanks and troops into the Gaza Strip for a second limited incursion, accompanied by IDF fighter jets and UAVs
Israeli ground forces backed by fighter jets and drones carried out a night-time targeted raid in the central Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Friday, as it prepares for a land invasion.
“During the last day, IDF (Israel Defense Forces) ground forces, accompanied by IDF fighter jets and UAVs, conducted an additional targeted raid in the central Gaza Strip,” the army said in a statement.
OPERATIONAL UPDATE: The IDF conducted strikes on Hamas terrorist targets over the last 24 hours.IDF ground troops, fighter jets and UAVs struck:
Anti-tank missile launch sitesCommand & control centersHamas terrorist operatives
The troops exited the area and no… pic.twitter.com/yNdiY6XTby
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 27, 2023
“As part of the activity, IDF aircraft and artillery struck terror targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation in the Shujaiya area and throughout the Gaza Strip,” the army added.
This comes a day after the Israeli military said troops entered Gaza overnight with tanks and infantry in a “targeted raid”, striking “numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts” before retreating to home soil.
Late on Wednesday, its aircraft also struck Lebanon in retaliation for the launch of a surface-to-air missile, the military said. Israeli air strikes continue to pound Gaza, and Palestinian militants launch rockets into Israel, the army reported.
The war, now in its 20th day, is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday that more than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed so far. The fighting has killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, who died in the initial Hamas attack.
Israel’s military has raised the number of remaining hostages in Gaza to 222 people, including foreigners believed captured by Hamas during the incursion. Four hostages have been released so far.
On Thursday, EU leaders called for “humanitarian corridors and pauses” in Israel’s war with Hamas to get aid into Gaza, after hours of negotiations at a summit of the bloc in Brussels.
(With agency inputs)
