Israeli forces have been fighting Palestinian militants in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, destroying tunnels and other infrastructure in an attempt to quell a small group of militants who continue to fire mortars at troops, the army said on Friday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its forces have killed about 100 Palestinian militants since launching its latest operation in Khan Yunis on Monday, but the operation continues amid growing pressure to end the fighting.
Seven small units firing mortars at troops were hit by the airstrike, while further south in Rafah four fighters were also killed in the airstrikes. Islamic Jihad’s armed wing said it fired rockets at the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon and other Israeli towns near Gaza.
According to the Israeli ambulance service, no casualties were recorded.
The continued fighting, more than nine months since the start of Israel’s invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack, underlined the difficulty the IDF has had in eliminating fighters who have reverted to a form of guerrilla warfare in the ruins of the coastal strip.
A Telegram channel operated by the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two main militant groups in Gaza, said fighters had been waging fierce battles with Israeli troops east of Khan Younis with machine guns, mortars, and anti-tank weapons.
Medics said at least six Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Khan Younis.
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