The Israeli army is setting fire to agricultural land in the northern Gaza Strip, claiming it is exposing tunnel exits, mines, and the presence of Palestinian fighters near the border fence.

The area being burned by the Israeli military in recent days spans thousands of dunams, and is being surveyed using small drones, Channel 12 reported Tuesday.

The Israeli military claims that in this way it uncovered the exits of several tunnels, and that it found various weapons and "intelligence material" in one of them.

The channel quoted an Israeli officer as saying that one of the goals of burning the fields was to "ensure the security of the residents of the Gaza envelope. Clearing this area allows us to see terrorists and enemy weapons much better, using small drones and other sophisticated means."

The Israeli army began burning agricultural fields following armed clashes between its forces and Palestinian fighters in recent days, during which two Israeli soldiers were killed in Shuja'iyya.