Israeli airstrikes have killed 17 militants in the southern and central part of the Gaza Strip, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Thursday.

Ground troops originally identified the targets during fighting against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the military said.

Hamas command centres and tunnel entrances were also attacked, and workshops for the production of weapons and warehouses with military equipment were discovered, Israel said.

More than four months after the start of Israel’s ground offensive in the coastal Palestinian territory, Israeli forces have not managed to locate the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yehya al-Sinwar.

There is also no sign of the 100 or more of the Israeli hostages whom Hamas and other terrorist groups took during their assault on southern Israeli communities on October 7.

About 1,200 people were killed in the large-scale attacks by gunmen who broke out of Gaza.

Since then, Israel’s response against Hamas has led to the deaths of over 30,700 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run authorities there.

Thousands of victims have been believed to still be buried under rubble.

The humanitarian situation is catastrophic, and there are now more frequent reports of deaths as a result of hunger and dehydration.

There was no word on possible progress in talks in Cairo on a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israel before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The Ramadan is expected to begin on Sunday.

(dpa/NAN)