Fierce clashes in Gaza as Israel steps up ground war with tanks and troops
- Israel pushes ahead with second phase of its war against Hamas following the deadly October 7 attack
- Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they were fighting Israeli forces in Gaza and the West Bank city of Jenin
Palestinians in Gaza reported fierce air and artillery strikes early on Monday as Israeli troops backed by tanks pressed into the enclave with a ground assault that prompted more international calls for civilians to be protected.
The Israeli land forces are supported by heavy fire from fighter jets, drones and artillery that the army said had struck more than 600 targets within 24 hours, up sharply from 450 a day earlier, in an expansion of ground operations in the northern Gaza Strip.
Residents are in dire need of fuel, food and clean water as the conflict enters its fourth week.
“IDF troops killed dozens of terrorists who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels, and attempted to attack the troops,” the military said in a statement.
“Dozens” of Israeli tanks rolled into the fringes of Gaza City, witnesses said, cutting a key road from the north to the south of the Palestinian territory.
“They have cut the Salahedin road and are firing at any vehicle that tries to go along it,” said one resident who did not give his name, but said they were present on two sections of the road.
