From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 13, 2023
IDF: Infantry troops, tanks entered Gaza for ‘localized raids’ to clear area of terrorists, locate hostages
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces says infantry forces and tanks entered Gaza Strip territory today in “localized raids” in order to clear the area of potential terrorists and locate missing Israelis.
According to the military, the troops scanned and collected various findings “that may help in the effort to locate the missing.”
The IDF says the troops also killed a number of terrorists in the area, including a Hamas cell that launched anti-tank guided missiles at Israel.
The troops did not enter deep into Gaza.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says armored and infantry forces carried out searches and “thwarted anti-tank guided missile squads that intended to infiltrate into Israeli territory.”
“The forces located findings that may help in the effort to locate the missing,” Hagari says.
“We will continue to make every effort to find every detail about the missing and hostages,” he adds.
An estimates 150-200 people were taken hostage by Hamas during its murderous attack last Saturday. The IDF has so far notified the families of 120 hostages that their loved ones are being held in the Gaza Strip.
