Israeli military conducts raid ahead of ground operation. First statement from Netanyahu
Israel had announced it would begin a ground operation following its airstrikes on Gaza. The military has carried out its first raid into the region.
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According to a report by Reuters, Israel announced that its infantry and tanks have conducted raids inside the Gaza Strip.
Israeli soldiers, who carried out the attack ahead of a ground operation, crossed the border and engaged in localized clashes.
LOCALIZED RAID
At 19:30, the Israel Defense Forces announced that infantry and tanks had entered Gaza Strip territory today with "localized raids" to clear the area of potential terrorists and locate missing Israelis.
According to the military, the units scanned and collected various findings that "could help in the efforts to locate the missing."
Israeli forces announced that the units killed a number of terrorists in the area, including a Hamas cell that had fired anti-tank guided missiles at Israel.
FIRST STATEMENT FROM NETANYAHU
Israeli soldiers carried out their first raids into the Gaza Strip on Friday following Hamas's attack on southern Israel, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the retaliatory campaign had only just begun.
In a brief televised statement, Netanyahu said, "We are striking our enemies with unprecedented force. I emphasize that this is only the beginning."
"A WIDESPREAD ATTACK"
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Telegram that it had carried out "a widespread attack on terror targets belonging to the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip."