Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman General Daniel Hagari said in a statement that clashes occurred in Be’eri, Kfar Aza, Nirim and Alumim.
About 70 terrorists entered Be’eri that night, but most were killed, the uniformed man explained, using the term Israel uses for Palestinian militiamen.
In Kfar Aza, seven others were identified near the town and a nearby tunnel, he noted.
According to Hagari, the IDF “killed 425 Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip and hundreds more on Israeli territory.”
Meanwhile, Israeli aircraft attacked hundreds of targets in the coastal enclave, home to more than two million people, on Sunday night.
In the last 20 hours, around a thousand tons of bombs were dropped on the territory and 50 to 60 explosive devices were used, the Walla news portal reported.
A few hours ago, Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced that they had more than 130 Palestinian prisoners in the Gaza Strip, including high-ranking army officers.
Musa Abu Marzouk, Hamas leader, reported that the armed group had more than a hundred members, while Jihad Secretary General Ziyad al-Nakhalah reported another 30 people in other statements.
Shortly before, the IDF reported that a commando from Shayetet 13, an elite Israeli unit, had captured Muhammad Abu Ali, a Hamas leader in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli security cabinet announced this Sunday the official declaration of a “state of war,” opening the door to a large-scale offensive against the Gaza Strip.
The decision was endorsed after the operation by Hamas, whose armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, fired thousands of rockets into the country and then launched a ground offensive that caught the army and security agencies by surprise.
The movement explained that the campaign aims to respond to systematic crimes committed by Israeli security forces and settlers for years.
Israel’s Health Ministry reported 700 dead and 2,382 wounded, including 73 soldiers, 34 police officers and five members or veterans of the Shin Bet (National Security Agency).
For their part, Gaza health authorities reported that 413 people died there and more than 2,300 were injured, although the number is much higher.
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