Israeli launches ‘extensive’ attack on Gaza targets
Israel’s army said it has launched an “extensive attack” on targets across the Gaza Strip.
The announcement was made on the military’s Hebrew language account on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It comes after it revealed its ground forces had raided Gaza over the past 24 hours ahead of an expected ground offensive on the densely populated Palestinian territory.
“Over the past 24 hours, [Israeli military] forces carried out localised raids inside the territory of the Gaza Strip to complete the effort to cleanse the area of terrorists and weaponry,” the army said. “During these operations, there was also an effort to locate missing persons.”
Lt Col Peter Lerner of the Israeli military said that during the incursions, they had identified drones concealed on rooftops of houses which were taken out.
He said in a Sky News interview the army was pleased to see a “huge amount” of people heading south and listening to Israeli warnings. However, he said “the 24-hour clause is not an iron-clad timeframe”.
