Israel intensified bombing of residential areas in an effort to “consolidate the occupation” around Hamas. Due to which thousands of Palestinians have fled from northern Gaza, Israel has refused a ceasefire until Hamas releases the hostages.
Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters are fighting closely in Gaza city. Thousands of civilians have fled south to avoid being caught in the center of the conflict. On Thursday, Israel said that its troops had entered the ‘heart’ of the Gaza Strip.
Thousands of people are still trapped inside the besieged north, including Gaza City’s main Al Shifa hospital, where Um Haitham Hajela was sheltering in an improvised tent with her young children.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shared a video of their attacks on Gaza cities and claimed that they were targeting Hamas infrastructure and tunnels used by their operatives.
Hamas’ armed wing also released a video showing fierce street fighting alongside bombed buildings in Gaza City.
The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and killed about 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials, and captured 239 hostages.
With the aim of destroying Hamas, Israel retaliated with sustained bombing and ground offensives on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 10,500 people, many of them children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again rejected international calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and said Hamas must first release all hostages.