The Israel Defense Forces said their soldiers killed “dozens” of terrorists during clashes overnight with Palestinian Hamas fighters as Israeli troops expand ground operations in the Gaza Strip in a retaliatory campaign for the Hamas terror rampage that killed 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals earlier this month.
An IDF spokesman said the Hamas fighters barricaded themselves inside buildings near the route of the armored advance.
“IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip identified armed terrorists and an anti-tank that was about to be launched in the area of the (Al-Azhar University-Gaza) in the Gaza Strip and directed a fighter jet that attacked them,” IDF officials said in a statement.
“In the last day, about 600 targets were attacked, including warehouses, hiding places, and gatherings of Hamas operatives and anti-tank positions,” IDF officials said.
Even as Israel continues to send tanks into Gaza, fighting continues in the northern part of the country. Iran-backed Hezbollah militants opened fire at an IDF post on the Lebanese border overnight. There were no reported injuries. IDF troops responded with artillery fire that destroyed a building used by Hezbollah leadership, officials said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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