Israeli forces continued their advance towards Gaza City on Thursday, facing strong resistance from Hamas militants who utilized mortars and hit-and-run tactics from tunnels. The Palestinian death toll continued to rise after nearly four weeks of relentless bombardments.
In the southern part of the besieged enclave, foreign passport-holders were permitted to leave through the Rafah crossing into Egypt.
The conflict has now reached the northern region of the Gaza Strip, which is the main population center and the base of the Islamist group Hamas. Israel has urged residents to evacuate as it pursues its goal of decisively dealing with Hamas.
“We are at the gates of Gaza City,” Israeli military commander Brigadier General Itzik Cohen said.
Fighters of Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad were emerging from tunnels to fire at tanks, then disappearing back into the network, residents said and videos from both groups showed, in guerrilla-style operations against a far more powerful army.
“They never stopped bombing Gaza City all night, the house never stopped shaking,” said one man living there, asking not to be identified by name. “But in the morning we discover the Israeli forces are still outside the city, in the outskirts and that means the resistance is heavier than they expected.”
Israeli officers have stressed the difficulties of fighting in an urban environment. The strategy appears for now to concentrate large forces in the northern Gaza Strip rather than launch a ground assault on the entire territory.
The latest war in the decades-old conflict began when Hamas fighters broke through the border on Oct. 7. Israel says they killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostages in the deadliest day of its 75-year history. Israeli forces continued
The sustained Israeli bombardment of the densely populated Palestinian enclave, home to 2.3 million people, has resulted in a tragic loss of life. According to Gaza health authorities, the death toll has surged to at least 8,796 people, including 3,648 children.
While Western nations, especially the United States, have historically been staunch supporters of Israel, the distressing images of bodies amidst the rubble and the dire conditions within Gaza have sparked calls for restraint and led to widespread street protests around the globe.