Israel’s army says its troops have killed ‘dozens of terrorists’ as its ground operation in the Gaza Strip continued overnight.

“Over the past day, there were numerous attempted attacks on IDF troops from tunnel shafts and military compounds in the northern Gaza Strip,” the IDF said on Saturday.

Israeli soldiers killed the terrorists, found weapons by Hamas, and uncovered tunnel shafts “used for terrorist purposes,” according to the statement.

Israeli tanks also destroyed “three Hamas observation posts” in northern Gaza, while several Hamas militants were killed in battles with 15 fighters.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, the IDF conducted a targeted raid overnight “to map out buildings and neutralise explosive devices.

“During the operation, the troops encountered a terrorist cell exiting a tunnel shaft. In response, the troops fired shells toward the terrorists and killed them.”

Israel declared its plans to wipe out the Palestinian extremist organisation Hamas after its militants went on a brutal rampage through Israeli towns bordering Gaza, killing 1,400 people and taking 249 others hostage on October 7.

Israel subsequently launched a heavy air bombardment of the coastal strip and began advancing into Gaza on the ground.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says more than 9,200 people have died in Gaza since the war started.

Hamas, which rules the densely populated, sealed-off coastal area, classified as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the EU, and the U.S.

(dpa/NAN)