It is the 25th day of war between the State of Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, and the Israel Defense Forces continue their advance in the Gaza Strip. According to reports from IDF spokespersons, Israeli forces continued their operations to prepare for a large-scale ground invasion of the strip. Yesterday’s operations were successful, with the IDF managing to rescue one of the hostages captured during the attacks on Saturday, Oct. 7.

Nearly 300 targets destroyed in Gaza

According to IDF information, operations in the Gaza Strip from Monday to Tuesday resulted in nearly 300 Hamas and Al Qassam Brigades targets destroyed. These include Hamas anti-tank batteries, rocket firing positions and underground compounds. Along with this, the IDF published a series of new images of its operations in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas terrorist group published some videos that attest to the clashes between its forces and Israeli troops. In some of them, armed men from the Al Qassam Brigades are seen emerging from underground complexes and opening fire on the IDF troops advancing into Gaza. From the towns near the border with Gaza, bursts of fire and artillery from both sides could be heard clashing throughout the night.

Two Israeli soldiers killed and shelling in Jabaliya

The IDF reported the death of two Israeli soldiers during fighting around Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip. There, the Israeli military claims to have clashed with armed forces from the Al Qassam Brigades.

The operation was reportedly successful for the Israeli army, which claims to have neutralized at least 50 Hamas terrorists at the site. The IDF confirmed that a large detonation reported in Jabaliya corresponded to an air strike launched by its air force.

Palestinian authorities condemned the attack on Jabaliya and claimed that most of the casualties in the enclave are civilians. Arab countries condemned the attack in turn.

Houthi militias launch rockets from Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi militias, backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the long-range rocket attack across the Red Sea against Israel. This Tuesday, air raid sirens sounded in the port city of Eilat. From southern Israel, a projectile’s trail was seen crossing the sky. A few hours later, the IDF confirmed that an aerial projectile was intercepted by Israeli anti-ballistic defenses. The projectile was intercepted by the Arrow long-range defense system, an anti-missile system that was debuted on Monday. The IDF also announced that on a fighter squadron shot down other "hostile targets," possibly drones.

The spokesman for the Houthi authorities in Yemen, Yahya Sria, claimed responsibility for the attack, which he described as a response by the Yemeni people in defense of the people of Gaza. In statements reported by The Times of Israel, the Houthi spokesperson warned that it would not be the last attack against Israel and confirmed that it is the third since the start of the conflict on Saturday, Oct. 7.

The attacks from Yemen come in addition to those from Lebanon at the hands of the Hezbollah group. On the border with Lebanon, an Israeli Merkava tank was destroyed by the impact of an anti-tank weapon. The IDF responded with several artillery strikes against Hezbollah positions in the north.

More rockets from Gaza

Throughout Monday, more rockets were launched from Gaza against Israeli cities. Authorities reported damage in the coastal city of Ashod, a few miles north of Gaza, after several Hamas rockets hit the city center.

Some rockets also hit Tel Aviv that were not intercepted by the Iron Dome defenses.

Hamas promises to release hostages with international passports

According to The Times of Israel, a Hamas spokesman announced Tuesday that the terrorist group will release several hostages of foreign nationalities. Some non-Israeli prisoners could be released in the coming days.

According to the spokesman, non-Israeli hostages are of no interest to them. On the other hand, the Hamas group contradicted the IDF's statement and claimed that the terrorist group was not holding the soldier Ori Megidish captive. The soldier was released on Monday by Israeli troops entering the Gaza Strip.

According to the Hamas spokesman, Megidish was being held hostage by another terrorist group, which could further complicate the situation for the more than 200 people being held hostage by Palestinian terrorists who attacked southern Israel on Saturday, Oct. 7.