Metropolis Desk-
Three days after starting a significant ground operation in the Palestinian enclave that has prompted further international appeals for the protection of civilians, Israeli troops and tanks launched an attack on Gaza’s key northern metropolis on Monday from both sides.
As it increased ground operations in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian residents are in desperate need of food, gasoline, and clean water as the war moves into its fourth week, Israel’s military stated that it had hit more than 600 militant targets in the last several days.
The militants claimed to be fighting Israeli tanks on the Israeli border, having resisted their effort to advance into Gaza City from the east.
The Islamic Jihad militant group, which is fighting alongside Hamas, declared in a statement that “our duty today is to fight and fight” and that a truce was not appropriate at this moment.
Four high-profile Hamas operatives have been murdered, according to the Israeli military.
“IDF troops killed dozens of terrorists who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels, and attempted to attack the troops,” claimed the statement.
About each other’s reports, neither party responded.
Israel started a major incursion into Gaza late on Friday to pursue Hamas fighters it claims are hidden in a maze of tunnels beneath Gaza City. As part of this operation, Israel issued fresh warnings to residents to evacuate from the tiny coastal enclave’s north to the south.
Many have remained in the city due to Israeli bombardment further south and fear of becoming homeless like their ancestors.
On Monday, locals reported hearing the sound of tanks moving in during gunfire, and Israeli forces were alleged to have launched many airstrikes on the eastern side of the city. One tank was visible on the main Salahudeen road, which links the city to the south, according to a social media post.
Afterward, locals and the media office of the government-controlled by Hamas said that the tanks had retreated in the direction of the guarded perimeter encircling Gaza. The armed wing of the militants said that Israeli forces were in the area, but Islamic Jihad, one of the other militant groups, claimed that its fighters were engaged in combat with Israeli forces.
Residents reported that multiple hits from the water and air had occurred on the seaside road to the west.
Not immediately, Reuters was able to confirm the stories.
Air attacks on Monday near three main hospitals in Gaza City, according to Palestinian health officials. 117,000 people are taking refuge in northern hospitals with patients and medical staff, according to the U.N. humanitarian office OCHA.
Hamas has denied allegations made by Israel that it has deployed weapons and command centers close to medical facilities.
There were also audible airstrikes in the cities of Rafah in the south, close to Gaza’s sole functioning border crossing with Egypt, and east of Khan Younis, where Palestinian media said that Hamas forces engaged in combat with Israeli troops.
OCHA reported on Monday that services were “largely restored” despite telecom providers reporting outages in some regions of the north. The phone and internet outages that shut down Gaza on Friday have abated.
Hamas-led militants swept into the country’s south on October 7 and captured 229 hostages; Israel claims 1,400 people were murdered in the incident. Hamas claims that 50 people have died in retaliatory strikes and has only released four thus far.
3,457 kids were among the 8,306 individuals who died on Monday, according to medical authorities in the 2.3 million-person Gaza Strip, which is governed by Hamas.
OCHA reported that it was difficult for rescuers to get to victims.
“As of 29 October, about 1,800 people, including at least 940 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery,” it stated.
Additionally, according to the UN agency, armed groups have not stopped launching rockets at Israel randomly, with no reports of casualties.
The Israeli defense ministry issued video footage of what it said were maneuvers inside Gaza showing soldiers in buildings, tanks on a main road, and air strikes on what it said were buildings occupied by Hamas.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the timing or location of the video and Israel’s military said it would not reveal where it was filmed.
“We are moving from the ground, spotting the terrorists and attacking from the air. There is also direct engagement between ground forces and terrorists. The fighting is taking place inside the Gaza Strip,” military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they were also fighting Israeli forces in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The Palestinian health ministry said four people were killed there on Monday and Israel said an air strike killed several fighters.
Israel claimed to have taken 700 Hamas members into custody in the West Bank. Since October 7, 121 individuals have died in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. 1,680 persons, including women, the elderly, and minors, were held, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Association.
Global protests in favor of the Palestinians have been sparked by the war, and incidents of antisemitic and Islamophobic harassment and violence are on the rise.
After hundreds of anti-Israel protestors rushed the airport in search of the Jewish passengers from an Israeli airliner, Russian officials stated they had taken over the airport in the largely Muslim area of Dagestan and arrested 60 people.
Twenty individuals were reportedly hurt at the airport on Sunday before security personnel were able to quell the rioting. Security personnel informed Reuters that all passengers were safe on board.
The international community has called for a “humanitarian pause” to enable aid into Gaza in response to Israel’s increasing ground attacks on the region.
Releasing all civilian hostages held by the terrorists in exchange for a five-day stoppage of Israeli operations, according to a source briefed on negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar, was what Hamas demands, according to Reuters.
OCHA said that 33 trucks, the largest delivery so far, brought in food, water, and medical supplies to Gaza on Sunday. However, many more trucks were needed to address immediate demands and avert public unrest. On Sunday, hungry people flooded relief stores.
Source- Reuters
