Bodies of 1,500 Hamas militants found in Israeli territory: IDF

Jerusalem: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday said that the bodies of some 1,500 Hamas militants were found inside Israeli territory as fighting rages between the two sides since the October 7 unprecedented attack.

In its latest update, the IDF also said that 900 Israelis have been killed since the attack, including 123 soldiers whose names have been released to the media, Sky News reported.

Dozens of Israeli fighter jets struck more than 200 targets in Gaza’s densely populated Rimal and Khan Yunis neighbourhoods overnight, the military said.

The IDF said it struck an Islamic Jihad terror infrastructure in Khan Yunis, a weapons storage site of Hamas militants located inside a mosque, and “operational terror infrastructure used by Hamas terror operatives,” among other targets, CNN reported.

The jets also struck a number of “operational residences” belonging to Hamas operatives, as well as a Hamas operational command center located inside a mosque, it added.

Addressing a briefing on Tuesday morning, IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said: “Looking towards the south, we have more or less restored full control over the border fence (in Gaza). Hopefully in the next few hours it will be final.”

Hecht said Israeli forces have secured communities around the border and have nearly completed evacuations in the area, adding that there were two small firefights overnight in the Sa’ad and Kissufim communities.

“We are focusing our offensive in the Gaza Strip and our airstrikes,” CNN quoted the spokesperson as saying.

On Monday, the IDF said that the military had regained control over all the communities in southern Israel.

In a separate statement to CNN on Tuesday, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the military has also amplified its presence along the border with Lebanon, adding that tens of thousands of additional troops have been deployed.

“The situation (on the Lebanon border) is volatile. We are vigilant. We have added tens of thousands of additional troops along the border — reservists as well as regular units — in anticipation of a Hezbollah attack.

“We have strongly urged them to think twice before they embark on any such attack against Israel,” he said. “So far in the last few hours, the situation has been quiet. Let’s hope it remains like that,” Conricus told CNN.

An Israeli deputy commander was killed on Monday in a clash with inflitrating militants near the country’s northern border with Lebanon.

Deputy Commander of the 300th Brigade, LTC Alim Abdallah and other troops fought several militants who crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel, killing at least two of them, according to the military.

Israeli rescue services reported that at least six Israelis were injured by shrapnel, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group claimed responsibility for the infiltration.

In response to the infiltration, Israel Air Force helicopters launched airstrikes on Hezbollah posts in Lebanon, the IDF said.

At least three Hezbollah fighters were killed in the strikes, the Iran-backed militant group said.

In retaliation to the unprecedented attack launched on southern Israel by the Hamas on October 7, the Jewish nation has formally declared war and greenlighted “significant military steps”.

As a result, the Gaza Strip is still being bombarded by Israeli airstrikes.

Since the conflict erupted, more than 1,600 people have been killed on both the sides, while tens of thousands have been displaced and injured.

According to Israeli authorities, the Hamas is currently holding upto 150 people, inluding senior army officers and foreign nationals, as hostages in Gaza.

IANS