Hamas used the tunnel, which passed near the area in which are stationed IDF troops, the military stated.
The Hamas armed wing spokesman did not say how many soldiers had been abducted and showed no proof of the claim.
While the IDF operates in the north and south of the enclave, a Ynet report stated that Netanyahu delayed the operation in the north due to pressure from Bezalel Smotrich.
How the IDF's 98th Division faces the challenges of clearing terrorists from this key north Gaza neighborhood, and what it has learned from seven months of war.
THE DECLARATION addresses the concerns of mainstream Israelis and their international partners.
The IAF struck several military structures in Gaza, as well as terror cells, anti-tank positions, and additional terrorist infrastructure.
Both on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, the IDF said Division 98 had killed several dozen Hamas fighters in Jabalya in northern Gaza.
Multiple defense sources have assured the Jerusalem Post that Tuesday’s fights are an indication of a more significant volume of Hamas terrorists reconstituting themselves in Jabalya.
On Saturday night, the IDF launched an operation in the Jabalya area due to intelligence that Hamas was reorganizing in the area.
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