GAZA: Hamas said it was engaged in “heavy fighting” with Israeli troops inside northern Gaza.
The death toll among Palestinians passed 8,000, mostly women and minors, as Israeli tanks and infantry pursued what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “second stage” as Israeli forces continue strikes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Hamas said its Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades were already “engaged in heavy fighting… with the invading occupation forces.”
Israeli forces appeared to be driving deeper into Gaza from the north. Video released Monday by the military showed armored vehicles moving among buildings and soldiers taking positions inside a house. The exact location was not known, but military footage Saturday had shown troops moving through empty sandy areas near Gaza’s northern border fence.
Nearly three dozen trucks entered Gaza on Sunday in the largest aid convoy since the bombardment began, but humanitarian workers said the assistance still fell desperately short of needs after thousands of people broke into warehouses to take flour and basic hygiene products.
Communications were restored to most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people Sunday after over a day without phone and internet services amid bombardment that residents described as the most intense of the war.
Meanwhile, the UN has emphasised that people in Gaza, “including women and girls, urgently need lifesaving supplies, safe shelter, protection, support and maternal health care”.
