The IDF says the Givati Brigade is increasing its operations against Hamas in the east

The IDF says the Givati Brigade is increasing its operations against Hamas in the east Khan Younis suburbs of Abasan al-Jadida and Abasan al-Kabira.

The Givati troops are raiding Hamas sites in the area in southern Gaza, killing dozens of operatives and capturing weapons and rockets in the process, according to the IDF.

In one incident, the IDF says that as troops entered a building Hamas gunmen opened fire at them. The soldiers returned fire and killed two gunmen who tried to flee, it says.

In the building, the soldiers found a cache of weapons, including explosive devices, grenades, sniper rifles, assault rifles, and other military equipment.

In another building in the Abasan area, used as a medical lab, the IDF says it found a rocket launcher and a long-range projectile hidden in a refrigerator.

The IDF says Givati snipers have ambushed many Hamas gunmen in the area recently. In one case, an operative trying to plant an explosive device near troops was killed by a sniper from a close range, according to the IDF.