Israeli army says it hit 300 targets in Gaza Strip in 24 hours

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) — The Israeli army announced Thursday that it conducted airstrikes on 300 targets in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, right before an expected humanitarian pause is set to take effect in the coming hours.

In a statement, the army said the targets were "affiliated with Hamas," referring to the Palestinian resistance group based in the enclave, and were attacked "from the air."

The targets included "operational command headquarters, underground combat tunnels, military warehouses, and sites for producing weaponry and launching anti-tank missiles," according to the statement.

As of 0950 GMT, Hamas had not responded to the Israeli army's announcement, but the movement typically asserts that Israeli attacks target civilians.

Israel's Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi told military leaders inside Gaza on Thursday, "we aren't stopping the war. Instead, we will continue until victory and advance forward," according to the statement.

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following a surprise attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The number of people killed in Israeli air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since then has risen to 14,532, including over 6,000 children and 4,000 women, the media office in the besieged enclave said Wednesday.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

* Writing by Rania Abu Shamala