Tel Aviv [Israel], December 24 : The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that its ground, aerial and naval forces hit approximately 200 targets in Gaza over the past day, CNN reported. Israel's attack came after the IDF announced it was expanding its ground operations.
The IDF said its troops in northern Gaza located a Hamas weapons compound in a civilian structure, located adjacent to schools, a mosque and a clinic.
In a statement, the IDF said, "Explosive belts adapted for children, dozens of mortar shells, hundreds of grenades, and intelligence documents were found inside the compound," according to CNN report.
In northern Gaza, the statement said, "IDF troops identified a number of terrorists that exited a Hamas military compound containing observation assets. The ground forces directed an aerial strike on the compound and the terrorists were killed."
According to the statement, the IDF troops in northern Gaza's Jabalya "together with an aircraft and artillery, killed seven terrorists and destroyed four Hamas observation assets distributed in the area."
The IDF soldiers said they located numerous weapons, including dozens of grenades and explosives, during what they called "a targeted raid on a military command centre" in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, CNN reported.
At least 20,258 people have been killed and 53,688 others have been injured in Gaza since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, CNN reported, citing a statement from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the IDF said it hit further Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, The Times of Israel reported. The IDF said it hit Hezbollah sites in response to attacks conducted on the border alongside fire to "remove threats" in several areas along the border. Earlier, several projectiles were fired from Lebanon at Avivim, Margaliot and Arab al-Aramshe.
The IDF announced the death of another soldier during fighting in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, bringing the total number of slain troops in Israel's ground offensive against Hamas to 153, The Times of Israel reported.
The deceased soldier has been identified as Staff Sgt. Roy Elias (21) of the Combat Engineering Corps's 603rd Battalion, from Tzofar. As many as 14 IDF soldiers were killed in Gaza over the weekend.
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