Daijiworld Media Network - Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Jul 12: The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday that they have carried out a wide-scale military offensive in the Gaza Strip over the past 48 hours, targeting what they claim are terrorist operatives and infrastructure.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, the IDF confirmed that approximately 250 sites across Gaza were hit during the operations, which spanned air and ground assaults. “IDF forces continue to strike terrorist infrastructure and terrorists throughout the Gaza Strip,” the military said.

The strikes were reportedly coordinated with Israeli Military Intelligence and the internal security agency Shin Bet. Units from Divisions 98, 36, 162, 143, and 99 have been deployed in various regions of Gaza as part of the operation.

Division 98 is currently engaged in the densely populated Zaytoun and Shuja'iyya neighborhoods of Gaza City. Israeli troops say they have uncovered and neutralised explosives and surveillance positions allegedly belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

According to the IDF, dozens of suspected militants have been killed in airstrikes conducted by the Israeli Air Force, directed by fire control centres operating in coordination with ground troops.

In northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun area, the Givati Brigade reportedly conducted raids to dismantle tunnels, seize weapons, and eliminate fighters. Meanwhile, troops from Brigade 401, operating under Division 162, identified and neutralised two Hamas members through targeted airstrikes.

The military said the strikes have hit a range of objectives including booby-trapped buildings, arms depots, anti-tank launch sites, sniper nests, and combat tunnels.

The IDF's current escalation forms part of its continued campaign to dismantle militant networks and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, a territory controlled by Hamas since 2007.