About 40,000 Palestinian armed militants still operating in Gaza: Israeli army

Israel’s military estimates that there are still about 40,000 armed Palestinian fighters operating in Gaza through a network of tunnels, according to Israeli media reports, despite more than 19 months of war in which the army says it aims to “destroy” Hamas. The Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz and other outlets reported on Sunday, quoting unidentified military sources, that Palestinian militant groups still possess about the same number of fighters as before the conflict began in October 2023.