The operation was part of the military’s searches for bodies of missing Israelis, and to clear the area for Israel’s upcoming ground offensive, The Times of Israel reported.

The Israel Defense Forces told the newspaper an anti-tank guided missile was fired at an Israeli tank and engineering vehicle, and troops responded by shelling the terror cell. 

Hamas group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, more aid arrived in Gaza on Sunday (October 22, 20223) aboard 14 trucks that passed through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator said in a post on social media.

In a statement published on X, formerly Twitter, Martin Griffiths described the supplies provided by the Egyptian Red Cross and the UN as “another glimmer of hope for the millions of people in dire need of humanitarian aid”, adding “but they need more, much more."

No details were provided about what was on the trucks.

Humanitarians report that more than one million people are displaced in Gaza, water systems are at five per cent of normal capacity, and hospitals are overstretched and on the verge of collapse.

Gaza was already in a dire humanitarian state due to years of blockade after Hamas took control in 2006, and UN agencies have described the situation now as "catastrophic".

Some 406,000 people are sheltering in facilities belonging to UNRWA, the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, which said on Sunday that its fuel supply will be gone in three days. Safe humanitarian access to people across Gaza is also critical.