IDF forces hunt Hamas tunnels in Gaza City – declaring it ‘the largest terrorist base ever built’ – as Israeli troops battle with the group’s fighters and thousands of Palestinians flee south on foot
Israeli troops are battling Hamas terrorists deep inside Gaza City, according to the IDF, as thousands of Palestinians flee south on foot with only what they can carry.
Retaliating for a deadly October 7 attack by Hamas gunmen, Israeli soldiers have been advancing towards the heart of the city, which was home to 650,000 people before the war and is Hamas’ stronghold in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Underlining Israel‘s determination to destroy Hamas, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant described Gaza City as ‘the largest terrorist base ever built’. Israel says Hamas has its central command and a vast labyrinth of tunnels built under the city.
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What you need to know as Israel-Hamas war enters its 33rd day
Hello and welcome to MailOnline’s liveblog covering the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. As the conflict enters its 33rd day, here’s what you need to know:
- Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 10,300 people have been killed in the territory since the war began on October 7, when the group attacked Israel and killed over 1,400 people and took 240 more hostage.
- Israeli troops are now battling Hamas terrorists deep inside Gaza City as they continue with their ground operation into the strip. The dense metropolis is home to Hamas’s stronghold in the north of the coastal strip.
- Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said soldiers ‘are in the heart of Gaza City,’ adding Israel was ‘tightening the noose’ on the terror group. Hamas’ most senior leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, was isolated in his bunker, Gallant said.
- Thousands of Palestinians evacuated from the north of Gaza to the south of Tuesday, heeding Israel’s warning to move to the safer part of the territory
- The Hamas-run interior ministry said 900,000 Palestinians were still sheltering in northern Gaza, including in Gaza City, as troops close in
- The UN says the north has been without running water for weeks, and hospitals running low on supplies are performing surgeries – including amputations – without anaesthesia
- Palestinian health officials said at least 23 people were killed in two Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday in the southern Gaza
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that Israel would maintain ‘overall security responsibility’ in Gaza for an ‘indefinite period’ after defeating Hamas
- The US is opposed to Israel’s reoccupation of the territory
- Meanwhile, in Israel, Israelis marked one month since the Hamas attack with candlelit vigils around photos of the hostages taken by Hamas
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