Israel pounds Gaza’s north as it steps up ground assault By Reuters

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) – Palestinians in northern Gaza reported fierce air and artillery strikes early on Monday as Israeli troops backed by tanks pressed into the enclave with a floor assault that drew elevated worldwide requires the safety of civilians.

Israeli air strikes hit areas close to Gaza Metropolis’s Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals, and Palestinian militants clashed with Israeli forces in a border space east of town of Khan Younis, within the enclave’s south, Palestinian media reported.

There was no remark from Hamas or the Israeli army on the preventing early on Monday. Reuters was not capable of verify the studies.

The bombardments got here hours after Israel launched photos of battle tanks on the Palestinian enclave’s western coast, signalling a possible effort to encompass Gaza’s fundamental metropolis two days after the Israeli authorities ordered expanded floor incursions throughout its japanese border.

Some photos posted on-line additionally appeared to point out Israeli troopers waving an Israeli flag deep inside Gaza. Reuters couldn’t confirm the photographs.

Israel’s self-declared “second section” of a three-week warfare towards Iranian-backed Hamas militants has largely been saved from public view, with forces shifting underneath darkness and a telecommunications blackout slicing off Palestinians.

The telephone and web cuts appeared to ease on Sunday, however telecoms supplier Paltel mentioned that Israeli air strikes once more had knocked out web and telephone service in elements of the enclave’s northern sections, the place Hamas has command centres. The outages have severely hampered rescue operations for casualties of Israeli barrages.

The reported strikes close to hospitals got here after the Palestinian Purple Crescent mentioned on Sunday that it had acquired warnings from Israeli authorities to right away evacuate al-Quds hospital, the place some 14,000 folks have sought shelter.

Israel has accused Hamas of finding command centres and different army infrastructure in Gaza hospitals, one thing the group denies.

Palestinian officers mentioned round 50,000 folks had additionally taken shelter in Shifa Hospital, including that they had been involved about ongoing Israeli threats to the ability.

Israel has tightened its blockade and bombarded Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed throughout the border into Israel on Oct. 7. Israeli authorities say the militants killed some 1,400 folks and took a minimum of 239 hostages.

CALLS FOR A PAUSE

The stepped-up assaults by Israel coincided with a mounting worldwide outcry for a “humanitarian pause” to permit assist in.

Qatar-mediated negotiations between Israel and Hamas continued on Sunday, a supply briefed on the talks informed Reuters, and included discussions concerning the attainable launch of hostages.

Hamas needs a five-day humanitarian pause in Israel’s operations to permit assist and gas into the besieged Gaza Strip in return for the discharge of all civilian hostages held by the militants, mentioned the supply, talking on situation of anonymity.

Greater than half the hostages held by Hamas have international passports from 25 international locations, together with 54 Thai nationals, in response to the Israeli authorities.

On Monday, the United Nations Safety Council is because of be briefed on the humanitarian state of affairs in Gaza. The 15-member physique has unsuccessfully voted fours instances previously two weeks on draft resolutions that aimed to take motion on the warfare, however the 193-member U.N. Common Meeting voted overwhelmingly on Friday to name for a right away humanitarian truce.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a name to guard civilians in Gaza and to “instantly and considerably enhance the movement of humanitarian assist” to the besieged costal enclave, the White Home mentioned.

Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi dedicated to the numerous acceleration of help flowing into Gaza starting Sunday, the White Home mentioned individually.

Colonel Elad Goren of COGAT, the Israeli Defence Ministry company that coordinates with the Palestinians, mentioned Israel will enable a dramatic enhance in assist to Gaza in coming days and Palestinian civilians ought to head to a “humanitarian zone” within the south of the tiny territory.

Medical authorities within the Gaza Strip, which has a inhabitants of two.3 million folks, mentioned on Sunday 8,005 folks – together with 3,324 minors – had been killed.

The Hamas-run Gaza authorities’s media workplace mentioned 116 medics and 35 journalists have been killed for the reason that battle erupted.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm these figures.

Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas, a activity that it described as necessitating protracted floor assaults in, round and underneath Gaza Metropolis, the place the militants have an in depth subterranean bunker community.

There are fears too of regional overspill to the Gaza warfare, together with in Lebanon the place the Israeli military and Iranian-backed Hezbollah group have been exchanging fireplace.

The battle has prompted giant demonstrations worldwide in assist of the Palestinians. On Sunday a number of thousand folks rallied in Beirut to point out solidarity with Gaza.

A whole bunch of anti-Israel protesters on Sunday stormed Russia’s Dagestan airport in Makhachkala the place a aircraft from Israel had simply arrived, forcing Russian safety forces to shut the airport and divert flights whereas eradicating the demonstrators. The incident prompted Israel to induce Moscow to guard Israelis and Jews in Russia.