The IDF is operating inside of the Gaza Strip, according to reports by Arab media outlets.

According to a report Thursday night by Ma’an, IDF heavy equipment was spotted just over the border with Gaza.

Among the IDF assets reportedly operating in the area are D-9 combat bulldozers.

At 5:54 warning sirens were heard in towns surrounding the Gaza Strip. However, the IDF claimed that no rocket fire had been detected, and that the sirens had likely been sounded in response to light arms fire inside Gaza.

The operation comes just hours after a senior IDF official warned that the Hamas terror organization was growing in strength.

The official stated that the military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, had expanded dramatically since the 2014 Gaza war, and was now estimated to include 20,000 terrorist combatants.