Dozens of Israeli fighter jets have attacked more than 100 targets in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday morning.
Among them had been tunnel shafts and military installations used by Palestinian extremist organisation Hamas, according to the IDF.
At least 52 people were killed in the attacks, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza.
A terrorist cell in Jabalia that had attempted to plant explosives near an Israeli tank was eliminated overnight, the IDF report said.
It added that ground troops had targeted the fighters before they were killed by a fighter jet.
It was not possible to independently verify the claims.
Hamas fighters had also been killed the previous day in the southern city of Khan Younis, the army added.
READ ALSO: Israel-Gaza War: Social media helping Palestinians change narrative – Envoy
Israel’s army has stepped up its operations against Hamas after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to the sealed-off coastal strip that Israel would “intensify the fight in the coming days.”
The Israeli army’s offensive to eliminate Hamas from Gaza was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other groups on 7 October.
Around 1,200 people were killed and about 240 were taken hostage, some of whom were later released during a brief truce.
Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive in which more than 20,600 people have been killed so far, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.
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