Israel-Hamas war latest update: Dozens of Hamas militants were killed on Wednesday night in the Gaza Strip after failed attempt to ambush Israeli military soldiers. According to Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Hamas militants emerged from underground tunnels in order to ambush the Israeli troops and tried to take control of their armoured vehicles by firing anti-tank missiles and throwing grenades.

However, the alert Israeli troops fend off their attack and killed dozens of them without sustaining in casuality on their side.

In a statement released on Thursday morning, Israeli military said that its ground forces and tanks clashed with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip overnight in what is being reported by Israeli media was “an intense and chaotic midnight battle” that went on for at least three hours.

The Hamas ambush targeted Golani’s 13th Battalion in northern Gaza Strip, using mortars and drones. However, the troops were prepared for the attack and retaliated swiftly, killing at least 20 Hamas gunmen. Some, however, managed escape, the IDF said.

במהלך הלילה נתקלו לוחמי צה”ל מחטיבת גולני וכוחות שריון בחוליות מחבלים שביצעו לעברם ירי נ”ט, הפעילו מטענים והשליכו רימונים. הכוחות ניהלו עם המחבלים קרבות ממושכים, בסיוע אש חטיבתית של כלי ארטילריה וטנקים, תוך הכוונת כלי טיס לתקיפה מהאוויר והכוונת ספינת טילים לתקיפה מהים >> hXr9fTf”>pic.twitter.com/TSUhXr9fTf

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 2, 2023

Meanwhile, the intense battle continued to rage on Thursday with Israeli troops saying they are using artificial intelligence to identified Hamas targets deep inside the Gaza territory.

The IDF also announced the death of a senior military officer in Gaza during the battle with Hamas, bringing the deaths to 18 since Tuesday. At least 333 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the war.

Israel is in the second phase of the war that involves a ground operation combined with coordinated air strikes from Israel air force. The ground operation was started last week with clear goals – elimination of Hamas and rescue of hostages.

Israel declared a war against Hamas in response to the Palestinian militant outfit’s brutal October 7 attack in which more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed. After rampaging through southern Israeli towns, the militants also kidnapped at least 239 people, including foreign nationals from several countries.