Israeli military strikes 450 Hamas targets, takes control of military compound in Gaza

GAZA: The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said it has been conducting extensive operations in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours and that they targeted approximately 450 Hamas targets, which included tunnels, terrorist positions, military facilities, observation posts, and anti-tank missile launch sites, CNN reported.

The IDF also announced their capture of a Hamas military compound inside Gaza, containing observation posts, training facilities for Hamas operatives, and underground tunnels.

 "Over the last day, IDF fighter jets struck over 450 Hamas targets, including tunnels, terrorists, military compounds, observation posts, anti-tank missile launch posts and more," the IDF said in a statement on Monday.

"Overnight, IDF ground troops took control of a Hamas military compound in the Gaza Strip. The compound contains observation posts, training areas for Hamas operatives and underground terror tunnels," the statement added.

The Israeli military has been executing a significant offensive in the region, both above and below ground, targeting Hamas infrastructure and leadership. Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, the army's spokesperson, emphasised the intensity of the operation in response to a previous Hamas attack that claimed 1,400 lives in Israel on October 7.

These strikes have affected civilian areas, including residential neighbourhoods, hospitals, refugee camps, and schools, resulting in the loss of more than 9,700 lives, CNN reported, citing the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah.

Furthermore, telecommunications services experienced disruptions, with Paltel, a telecom company, announcing a "complete interruption" of its services due to the reconnection routes being cut off once more from the Israeli side.

However, there have been reports of the gradual restoration of communication services, including fixed, cellular, and internet services, in various parts of the Gaza Strip. Telecom operators such as JawwaL and Ooredoo Palestine have also shared similar updates on social media.

Netblocks, an Internet monitoring organisation, confirmed that internet access in Gaza is gradually being restored after a near-total blackout on Sunday, which was the second-longest observed since the conflict with Israel began.

"Metrics show that internet connectivity is being restored in the #Gaza Strip after Sunday's near-total telecoms blackout, the second-longest observed since the onset of the present conflict with Israel; overall service remains significantly below pre-war levels," the organisation said.

Over 9,700 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since October 7, CNN quoted Mai Al-Kaila, the Palestinian minister of health in Ramallah as saying, who used data drawn from medical sources in the Hamas-controlled enclave.

The figure included 4,800 children, Al-Kaila said. The updated figures came after a US special envoy, David Satterfield, said Saturday that between 8,00,000 and a million people have fled from the north to southern parts of the Gaza Strip, deepening the humanitarian crisis.

Critical supplies continue to be in short supply during the ongoing Israeli siege on the region, CNN reported.