Operation Strength and Sword: IDF carries out massive overnight strikes on Hamas in Gaza Strip

The air force attacks are designed to degrade Hamas's renewed military capabilities after it was leaked that the terror group has returned to a force of 25,000.  At around 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) started conducting dozens of extensive air strikes specifically on mid-level Hamas commanders and some senior Hamas political officials in Gaza. It was unclear if they were targeting senior Hamas commanders like Mohammed Sinwar, who might be holding Israeli hostages nearby.

Nearly eight hours after the IDF renewed the strikes, Hamas hasn't managed to fire a single rocket into Israel. At around 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning, IDF Arabic Spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee sent out a message to Gaza residents to move further into Gaza, away from the border with Israel, to avoid being attacked as part of the renewed hostilities.

The red zone, defined as a combat zone by the IDF, wraps around all Gaza from north to south, seeming to cover between one-third to one-half of the Strip's area, including Beit Hanun, Harvat, Hazza, and Abasan. More specifically, the IDF said that civilians should move to the western parts of Gaza City in the north and of Khan Yunis in the south. No more specific instructions were given in central Gaza. (Read More)