Palestinians wait to collect the bodies of their relatives outside the Nasser hospital, killed in Israeli strikes, in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Thousands of civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in an unprecedented attack triggering a war declared by Israel on Hamas. — AFP RAFAH, Oct 26 (Agencies): Israeli troops and tanks launched a brief ground raid into northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, the military said, striking several militant targets in order to "prepare the battlefield" ahead of a widely expected ground invasion after more than two weeks of devastating air raids.
The raid came after the UN warned it is on the verge of running out of fuel in the Gaza Strip, forcing it to sharply curtail relief efforts in the territory, which has also been under a complete siege since Hamas' bloody rampage across southern Israel ignited the war earlier this month.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has carried out a "targeted raid" overnight in northern Gaza using tanks.
Israel has not launched its expected ground invasion of Gaza - but says the raid was "preparation for the next stages of combat".
The IDF says the raid, which lasted hours, "eliminated terrorists" - with no Israeli injuries.
Meanwhile, Hamas says about 50 hostages being held in Gaza have been killed as a result of Israel bombarding the Strip in retaliation to Hamas's 7 October attack.
More than 1,400 were killed in the initial attacks on Israel by Hamas, and Israel says more than 220 people are still being held hostage in Gaza.
The Hamas-run health ministry says 7,000 people have been killed since Israeli air strikes on Gaza began - an increase of 500 since Wednesday
The UN's agency for Palestinians says it found more fuel on Wednesday - but warns supplies are running low across Gaza.
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