Troops exchange fire with terrorists in northern Gaza
23 Palestinians killed, while no IDF troops were hurt in night fighting in the Strip; Givati troops arrest 150 suspects in Rafah, while a Nahal unit uncovers hidden arms cache.
IDF troops were exchanging fire with terrorists in Beit Hanoun and the neighborhood of Saja'iyya in Gaza City on Thursday afternoon, as forces were deepening their activity in the area. The army was shelling the area and responded to terrorists with machine gun fire. Paratroopers were exchanging fire with terrorists north of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip as well.
IAF fighter jets struck at least three terrorists in three different incidents in the southern Gaza Strip after spotting them trying to fire rockets at Israel.
Gaza police say an infant boy was among those killed when Israeli fighter jets struck the Jabaliya refugee camp early Thursday.
No IDF soldiers have been hurt in Gaza overnight, while 37 Palestinians have been killed since midnight, bringing the number of Palestinian casualties to 734 since the beginning of the Gaza operation, according to Palestinian media.
In several areas where battles raged, representatives of the Red Cross have asked for a localized ceasefire to allow the evacuation of wounded and casualties. The IDF has agreed to localized and temporary halt to fire, but for now there is not Gaza-wide humanitarian ceasefire in place.
IDF troops killed 15 terrorists in the last 24 hours and uncovered 31 tunnels so far, nine of them have been destroyed. IDF officials estimate all 31 tunnels were meant to facilitate terror attacks against Israel.
Givati Brigade troops arrested some 150 suspects near Rafah on Wednesday, finding guide books in the terrorists' homes on how to plant explosives, how to booby-trap a house, how to operate weaponry and information on IDF units.
The IDF attacked 35 targets overnight across the Strip, leading to a total of some 3,400 targets since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge.
The army sent in additional engineering troops and explosives into the Strip in order to destroy all the tunnels.
Overnight, a Paratroopers force fired mortar shells at several suspects, killing two terrorists. A Nahal Brigade force uncovered dozens of arms in a house in Beit Hanoun, including anti-tank missiles, AK-47s, explosive devices and explosive vests.
A Givati Brigade force exchanged fire with a terrorist who was in a Hamas facility in the southern Gaza strip, killing the terrorist. The force found weapons in the facility.
A combat engineering force identified several suspects coming out of a tunnel shaft. An IDF aircraft struck the suspects and a direct hit was identified.
Finally, a Golani Brigade force uncovered a tunnel shaft in the northern Gaza Strip.
