Israeli Air Force strikes over 150 targets across Gaza in 24 hours

The Israeli Air Force has continued its intensive airstrikes across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, targeting more than 150 locations linked to Palestinian militant groups, according to a statement by the Israeli military.

Among the targets were booby-trapped structures, weapons depots, anti-tank and sniper positions, as well as various other military infrastructure. The strikes also targeted individual armed militants, the army said, Caliber.Az reports.

On the ground, Israeli forces engaged in fierce combat in the northern city of Beit Hanoun, where troops reportedly eliminated militants and dismantled their infrastructure. Fighting was also reported around the southern city of Khan Yunis, according to the Israeli military.

Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and abducted 251 in their 7 October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war. Hamas still holds 50 hostages, of whom at least 20 are believed to be alive.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The UN and other international organisations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on casualties from the war. The number does not include the thousands thought to be buried under the rubble or those who have died of the war’s indirect consequences.

By Khagan Isayev