At least 1,500 Palestinian bodies of suspected Hamas members were found in the Israeli settlements surrounding the blockaded Gaza strip, an Israeli army official claimed Tuesday.

"In the past days, the Israeli army found no less than 1,500 bodies of Palestinian gunmen inside Israeli territories," the Israeli army official, requesting anonymity, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

He, however, didn't provide further details on the issue.

The Palestinian resistance groups, especially Hamas, are yet to comment on the Israeli army’s claim.

Over the past three days, the Hamas armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades released several videos of its fighters breaking into Israeli military sites around Gaza, which also showed Israeli soldiers being killed and arrested.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets and infiltrating Israel by land, air and sea.

It said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and increased settler violence against Palestinians.

In retaliation, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza has risen to 704, including 143 children and 105 women, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said early Tuesday. It said the number of wounded has risen to around 4,000.

At least 900 Israelis have been killed and over 2,600 others wounded in the fighting, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.