Israeli strikes pounded Gaza City overnight into Thursday as ground forces battled Hamas terrorists in dense urban neighborhoods from which tens of thousands have fled in recent days.
Israeli troops were around 3 kilometers from Shifa Hospital in the heart of downtown, the hospital's director said. Israel has been vague on troop movements, but officials say Gaza's largest city is the focus of their campaign to crush Hamas following its deadly Oct. 7 assault inside Israel.
The possible cease-fire deal is being brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, a Persian Gulf country that mediates with Hamas. The Israeli military says Hamas' main command center is located in and under the hospital complex and that senior leaders are hiding there, using the facility as a shield. Hamas and hospital staff deny the claims and say the military is creating a pretext to strike it.
International journalists who entered the north on a tour led by the Israeli military on Wednesday saw heavily damaged buildings, fields of rubble and toppled trees along the Mediterranean shoreline. Still, the exodus from Gaza City and surrounding areas in the north has accelerated in recent days. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 50,000 people fled south on Gaza's main highway on Wednesday during a daily, hourslong window announced by the Israeli military.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Israeli strikes pound Gaza City, where tens of thousands have fled in recent daysIsraeli strikes pounded Gaza City overnight as ground forces battled Hamas militants in dense urban neighborhoods from which tens of thousands have fled in recent days
Read more »
Israeli strikes pound Gaza City, where tens of thousands have fled in recent daysIsraeli strikes pounded Gaza City overnight as ground forces battled Hamas militants in dense urban neighborhoods from which tens of thousands have fled in recent days.
Read more »
Israeli strikes pound Gaza City, where tens of thousands have fled in recent daysIsraeli strikes pounded Gaza City overnight as ground forces battled Hamas militants in dense urban neighborhoods from which tens of thousands have fled in recent days.
Read more »
Israeli strikes pound Gaza City, where tens of thousands have fled in recent daysKHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes pounded Gaza City overnight and into Thursday as ground forces battled Hamas militants in dense urban
Read more »
Israeli strikes pound Gaza City, where tens of thousands have fled in recent daysIsraeli strikes pounded Gaza City overnight as ground forces battled Hamas militants in dense urban neighborhoods from which tens of thousands have fled in recent days.
Read more »
Israeli strikes pound Gaza City, where tens of thousands have fled in recent daysIsrael has said the battle to end Hamas' rule will be long and difficult, and that it will maintain some form of control over Gaza indefinitely.
Read more »