By Ahmed Asmar
ANKARA (AA) – The Israeli army on Tuesday said it has regained full control of the border areas with Gaza, three days after the Palestinian Hamas group infiltrated into Israeli sites through the border areas.
In a statement cited by the Times of Israel news website, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the Israeli army’s engineering units are clearing the areas and holes in the Israeli fence along the borders with Gaza which were used by the Hamas fighters.
Not a single terrorist (in reference to Hamas fighters) entered via the fence yesterday, Hagari said.
The army spokesman, however, admitted that still there is a "small number" of Palestinian fighters "hiding in Israeli territory."
The Palestinian Hamas group launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets and infiltrating Israel by land, air and sea. It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence against Palestinians.
In retaliation, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 704, including 143 children and 105 women, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said early Tuesday. It said the number of wounded has risen to around 4,000.
At least 900 Israelis have been killed and over 2,600 others wounded in the fighting, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.