An Israeli soldier operates in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in this handout picture released on Dec. 20, 2023. Photo: Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS

The Israel Defense Forces has killed over 2,000 Hamas terrorists since the end of a temporary ceasefire on Dec. 1, according to IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Hagari’s announcement brings the total number of eliminated Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip during the current war to around 8,000. Another 1,000 Hamas terrorists were killed in Israel on Oct. 7 and 8 after the Palestinian terror group’s brutal invasion of the Jewish state. These figures do not include wounded and captured terrorists.

“We have increased the number of troops fighting in east Khan Younis, and we are fighting there with determination, with five infantry brigades, and combat engineers, with an emphasis on the underground fighting,” Hagari said in an evening press conference.

Separately, tensions on Israel’s northern border with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror group based in Lebanon, continue to heat up.

The IDF said it carried out additional air strikes and tank shelling against Hezbollah positions on Thursday in response to a series of attacks against northern Israeli communities that left two civilians injured in the community of Dovev. The man and woman were brought to Ziv Medical Center in Safed, where they were announced to have light injuries.

The rocket attack came after the IDF launched an air strike deep in Lebanese territory, hitting an area near the town of Bouslaya, more than 12 miles from the border, according to Lebanese media.

Israel has ratcheted up its warnings to both the international community and Hezbollah that if the terrorist group cannot be pushed from Israel’s border through diplomatic avenues, Israel will be forced to take widespread military action.