BREAKING: Israel Enters The Gaza Strip, Engages Hamas As Hostage Rescue Underway

On Friday, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officially entered the Gaza Strip to conduct various localized raids to take out Hamas terrorists and rescue hostages that were taken following last weekend's brutal attacks that led to over 1,300 Israelis and at least 27 Americans dead.

According to The Times Of Israel, IDF infantry and tank battalions carried out a number of "localized raids" throughout Thursday and into Friday morning. Throughout the process, IDF soldiers collected various findings “that may help in the effort to locate the missing." 

The troops were able to locate and eliminate a Hamas anti-tank position that had been firing into Israel over the past few days with IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari telling The Times that the IDF “thwarted anti-tank guided missile squads that intended to infiltrate into Israeli territory.”

“The forces located findings that may help in the effort to locate the missing,” Hagari says. “We will continue to make every effort to find every detail about the missing and hostages."

Since the attacks on Saturday, Israel declared war on Hamas and called up over 300,000 IDF reservists. From those who have been mobilized, Israel has amassed over 100,000 soldiers on the border with Gaza as the military prepared a prolonged siege of the Hamas-led territory. In addition, Israel has launched multiple air strikes against Hamas-controlled facilities in the region leading to the terrorist organization threatening to kill hostages on live television if such air strikes continue without warning.

On Thursday evening, the Israeli government notified the United Nations to evacuate Gaza citizens located in the north of the territory to the south in preparation for the Israeli ground offensive that is expected to begin in full force either late on Friday evening or in the early hours of Saturday.

So far in the conflict, Gaza has reported over 1,700 deaths as the result of various Israeli air strikes. Those numbers are expected to increase as the conflict escalates and Hamas encourages citizens to remain in their homes despite Israeli warnings to exit the area prior to air strikes and prior to its ground offensive.

Meanwhile, the nation of Egypt has refused to open its border to allow the people of Gaza to evacuate to a fellow Arab country thus leaving the civilian population in an active war zone as Israel attempts to destroy Hamas following the brutal attack that left over 1,300 Israelis dead.

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