Israel mounts limited ground raids into Gaza

Israel's military said Monday that its ground forces had mounted limited raids into the Gaza Strip overnight.

"During the night there were raids by tank and infantry forces," Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters during a daily briefing, saying that the raids were carried out "deep" in Gaza.

He also confirmed that Israeli ground forces conducted over 320 air strikes.

The raids and air strikes "have been carried out as part of the preparations for the next stage of the war," Hagari said.

In a press statement on Sunday, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said its forces had engaged with an armored force infiltrating east of Khan Younis in south Gaza.

"Fighters engaged with the infiltrating force, destroying two bulldozers and a tank and forcing the force to withdraw, before they returned safely to base," the statement said.

Israel has massed tens of thousands of troops and tanks on the border of the Gaza Strip in the wake of Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on October 7.