Israeli forces have targeted a Hamas tunnel system in Gaza but are denying reports that they have launched a ground assault amid ongoing rocket attacks.
The Israeli Defense Forces on Friday said that about 160 aircraft from 12 squadrons struck more than 150 underground targets in the northern Gaza strips.
The purpose of the strike was to “damage the strategically important underground tunnels belonging to Hamas,” IDF said, adding that “many kilometers” of the tunnel was destroyed.
The move comes after IDF tweeted that IDF air and ground troops were attacking the Gaza strip, raising the possibility that a ground war was underway.
However, an Israeli military spokesperson told The Hill that ground troops were not in Palestinian territory.
“Clarification: there are currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip. IDF air and ground forces are carrying out strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip,” the spokesperson said.
Health officials in northern Gaza reported that a woman and her three children were killed during the Israeli operation, according to Reuters.
For days, Hamas and the Israeli military have fired off scattered airstrikes between each other after Hamas launched rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Monday. Hamas fired the rockets after Israel did not remove security forces from the Al-Aqsa Mosque after clashes injured Palestinians.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported early Friday morning that 119 Palestinians had been killed, including 31 children and 19 women, while 830 were wounded as a result of the ongoing strikes.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said that seven Israelis have been killed and more than 200 have been injured since Monday, according to CNN.