Israel has reportedly sent ground troops into the Gaza Strip as the war against Hamas begins to become more intense. The move comes after Israel declared a siege on the region, which is controlled by Hamas.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been conducting airstrikes since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Saturday. This marks the first time Israel has entered Gaza since the start of the war (aside from this rescue mission we reported on Thursday). 

The IDF tells Fox News' Trey Yingst that Israeli forces entered the Gaza Strip Friday, both infantry forces and tanks, to conduct localized raids.

The Israeli military said the raids were an effort to eliminate militants along the border and to gather information about those held hostage inside the Gaza Strip.

This was not the highly anticipated full-scale invasion Israel has been preparing, but it marks the first time Israeli forces entered Gaza on the ground since the start of the war on Saturday.

The IDF’s barrage of airstrikes, which included 6,000 precision-guided bombs in only six days, represents an aggressive operation aimed at destroying Hamas’ military capabilities. Marc Garlasco, a former United Nations war crimes investigator, said the IDF “is dropping in less than a week what the U.S. was dropping in Afghanistan in a year, in a much smaller, much more densely populated area.”

The United Nations has criticized Israel for laying siege to the territory while going soft on the brutality Hamas has inflicted on Israeli and Palestinian civilians. The terrorist group claims 13 hostages perished during the Israeli airstrikes. So far, the fighting has killed over 2,000 people, including more than 20 Americans.

The Hamas terror group claims 13 hostages it is holding in the Gaza Strip were killed during the past day by Israeli airstrikes.

In a statement, the terror group says the 13 hostages include foreigners.

During its murderous onslaught on southern Israel last weekend, Palestinian terrorists are believed to have taken some 200 people to the Gaza Strip, where they are being held hostage.

The Israeli military says it has so far notified families of 97 Israelis taken hostage by the terror group that their loved ones are being held.

The move comes just after Israel gave notice that it would be invading Gaza. It dropped thousands of leaflets warning Palestinian civilians to flee the area, a move that Hamas has labeled “propaganda.”

Amid the conflict, Iran and Hezbollah loom large, casting a nefarious shadow over the war. While Tehran denies involvement in Hamas’ original attack, recent revelations have shed light on the regime’s role in the intricate planning that went into the offensive.

Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks - WSJ https://t.co/WBe4IIWT1b

— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) October 8, 2023

The Biden administration has taken criticism for having given the Iranian regime $6 billion, ostensibly intended for humanitarian aid. The United States has sent warships to the Mediterranean Sea as a deterrent to escalated hostilities. It is expected that Israel’s offensive against Hamas will ramp up even further over the next few days.

Editor's Note: This article was edited post-publication for clarity.