Israel says 60 militants killed in Gaza in past day
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that its soldiers had killed some 60 militants during battles in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, with 40 killed in the southern city of Khan Younis alone.
Israel aims to eliminate the leadership of the Islamist Hamas movement and suspects its fighters are hiding in the extensive network of tunnels beneath the city.
The focus of the military operation, which began in response to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, is now on the southern part of the strip; the Israeli Defence Ministry said intensive combat operations against Hamas have ended in the north.
The information could not be independently verified.
Terrorists from Hamas and other groups killed more than 1,200 people and took around 250 others hostage from southern Israel on October 7. Since then, dozens of hostages have been released.
Israel responded to the attack with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that has led to the deaths of more than 24,400 people and more than 61,000 injured, according to the Gaza health authority, which iscontrolled by Hamas.
Israel is facing growing international criticism due to the soaring number of civilian casualties and dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
