The Israel Defense Forces said ground troops conducted temporary raids inside the Gaza Strip over the past day, the first move from an air war to ground operations.
A statement from the IDF on Friday reads: “Over the past day, the IDF conducted raids in the territory of the Gaza Strip in an effort to eliminate the threat of terrorists and weapons in the area and locate hostages. In addition, IDF soldiers thwarted terrorist cells and infrastructure located in the area, including a Hamas cell that fired anti-tank missiles toward Israeli territory.”
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The IDF posted a video on Friday afternoon to X, formerly known as Twitter, showing the raids being carried out.
במהלך היממה האחרונה ביצעו כוחות צה"ל פשיטות מקומיות בשטח רצועת עזה להשלמת מאמץ טיהור המרחב ממחבלים ומאמצעי לחימה. בפעולות אלו נעשה גם מאמץ לאיתור נעדרים>> pic.twitter.com/aQ9kwvDwSq
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 13, 2023
The IDF said troops entered the Gaza Strip to search for hostages and hunt down Hamas terrorists, a Palestinian terrorist organization. The initial raids come ahead of an expected offensive ground operation where the IDF will work to target Hamas terrorists.
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” on Gaza, announcing authorities would cut off services to the densely populated area. With the Gaza Strip under a total blockade, millions of residents will not have electricity, water, food, or other supplies. Israel’s military ordered more than 1 million people to leave the northern half of the Gaza Strip within 24 hours.
Hamas told Palestinian civilians “to ignore” the message, with Salama Marouf, head of the Hamas government media office, telling people the push to leave was an attempt by Israel "to broadcast and pass on fake propaganda, aiming to sow confusion among citizens and harm our internal cohesion."
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“In addition, the IAF continued its strikes on Hamas terror targets in the Gaza Strip, as well as strikes on anti-tank missile launchers immediately after they attacked Israel,” the IDF said.
Israel said 1,300 people were killed in the Hamas attacks and more than 3,000 are wounded. On Friday, the Gaza Ministry of Health said the number of Palestinians killed since Saturday rose to 1,799, and there have been 7,388 wounded.