
The Israeli military launched another brief incursion into the Gaza Strip as ground forces backed by fighter jets and drones carried out a night-time targeted raid in the central part of the region, the army said Friday (Oct 27). This comes amid a much-anticipated land invasion of the territory by Israel.
"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.
"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."
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said that US warplanes struck targets in eastern Syria, stating that they were linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard after a string of attacks on US forces by Iran-backed fighters.
The airstrikes acted as a catalyst for the latestescalation in West Asia, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and high regional tensions.
IDF released a black-and-white video, which showed a column of armoured vehicles as a thick cloud of dust billowed into the sky after the strikes.
The army conducted a similar ground operation using tanks and infantry the previous night in the northern part of the Palestinian territory.
Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.
This comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated earlier this week that Israel was "preparing for a ground offensive".
Netanyahu said in a televised statement late Wednesday that they were "preparing for a ground offensive", besides the heavy bombing campaign of Hamas-controlled Gaza.
Netanyahu said the decision on when forces would go into the Palestinian enclave would be taken by the government's special war cabinet.
He said, "We have already killed thousands of terrorists and this is only the beginning".
He added, "Simultaneously, we are preparing for a ground invasion. I will not elaborate on when, how or how many. I will also not elaborate on the various calculations we are making, which the public is mostly unaware of and that is how things should be."
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
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