On Tuesday night, the IDF struck a Hamas military site in northern Gaza where preparations were being made to fire projectiles at Israeli territory. In addition, the Israeli Navy struck several vessels in the coastal area of the Gaza Strip. These vessels were intended to be used for terrorist activities by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. "The IDF continues to strike terror targets in the Gaza Strip in order to remove any threat to Israeli civilians and IDF troops," a spokesman stressed. Related articles: Trump 'fully supports' IDF actions in Gaza The soldiers preventing the next October 7th IDF expands ground operation to Rafah 'When we talk about defeating Hamas, it means everywhere' Early on Tuesday morning , at around 2:00 a.m., the IDF began a widescale attack in Gaza, following Hamas' foot-dragging in the negotiations to release Israeli hostages kidnapped to Gaza during the October 7 massacre. The operation, which was approved by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, included massive attacks on Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets, carried out under cover of secrecy in order to ensure surprise. The opening strike included aerial attacks which continued for ten minutes, as fighter helicopters completed their tasks within two minutes. A total of 80 targets identified by the Military Intelligence Director and ISA were struck. The Rafah Crossing has been closed, and schools in the Gaza border area, closed on Tuesday, were allowed to reopen Wednesday under strict security guidelines. Israel is weighing restarting trains to Sderot.
