Israel has said it had killed dozens of Hamas fighters overnight in strikes on Gaza and indicated that it had no intention of easing its bombardment of the besieged Palestinian enclave, AFP reports.

The Israeli military said it had hit more than 400 “militant targets” in Gaza overnight and killed dozens of Hamas fighters, including three deputy battalion commanders.

Among the targets hit was a tunnel that allowed Hamas to infiltrate Israel from the sea and Hamas command centres in mosques, it said. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Earlier, Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi suggested Israel had no intention of curbing its strikes.

“We want to bring Hamas to a state of full dismantling,” Halevi said in a statement. “We are well prepared for the ground operations in the south,” he added. “Troops who have more time are better prepared, and that is what we are doing now.”