Leaving Palestinians with ‘no safe zones’ for shelter, the Israeli army is pushing deeper into southern Gaza as it attempts to expand its ground operations to root out Hamas leaders.
Israel’s top military commander said forces were surrounding the city of Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip as the military campaign moves into a new phase following the 7-day pause to allow a return of some hostages.
“Sixty days after the war began, our forces are now encircling the Khan Younis area in the southern Gaza Strip,” said Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, chief of the General Staff.
“We have secured many Hamas strongholds in the northern Gaza Strip, and now we are operating against its strongholds in the south,” he said.
Earlier in the day, health officials said at least 45 people were killed by an Israeli air strike on houses in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
“We have received 45 martyrs from the Israeli bombing on the houses of three families in Deir al-Balah in the past hour,” Dr Eyad Al-Jabri, head of the Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah.
