Gaza, Jan 27 (Reporter) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday that it had continued raids on Hamas targets in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, eliminating many armed fighters. "In Khan Yunis, IDF troops conducted targeted raids on terror targets, including a weapons storage facility where large quantities of ammunitions, guns, and various technological assets were located. IDF troops directed an aircraft that killed three terrorists who operated to plant explosives adjacent to the forces. In parallel, IDF troops continued to kill numerous armed terrorists from close range," the IDF said in a statement. The IDF also said its units killed several Hamas fighters armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers in the city. In November, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Hamas had been defeated in the northern part of the enclave and the Israeli military would now mover to the center and south of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military claims that about 9,000 Hamas fighters were eliminated in the three months since the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. Various estimates put the total number of Hamas troops between 30,000 and 40,000. On October 7, the Gaza Strip-controlling Hamas movement launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Almost 26,000 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said. On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza...////...