Daily Times

Palestinians in northern 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.

Medical authorities in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2.3 million people, said 8,005 people – including 3,324 minors – had been killed. The Gaza government’s media office said 116 medics and 35 journalists have been killed since the conflict erupted. Israeli air strikes hit areas near Gaza City’s Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals, and Palestinian fighters clashed with Israeli forces in a border area east of the city of Khan Younis, in the enclave’s south, Palestinian media said.

There was no comment from Hamas or the Israeli military on Monday’s fighting.

The bombardments came hours after Israel released images of battle tanks on the west coast of the Palestinian enclave, signalling a potential effort to surround Gaza’s main city two days after the Israeli government ordered expanded ground incursions across its eastern border.

Some pictures posted online also appeared to show Israeli soldiers waving an Israeli flag deep inside Gaza. Reuters could not verify the images.

Israel’s self-declared “second phase” of a three-week war against Hamas fighters has been largely kept from public view, with forces moving under darkness and a telecommunications blackout cutting off Palestinians.

The phone and internet cuts appeared to ease on Sunday, but telecoms provider Paltel said Israeli air strikes had again knocked out internet and phone service in parts of the enclave’s northern sections.

The outages have severely hampered rescue operations for casualties of brutal Israeli barrages. The reported strikes near hospitals came after the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday it had received warnings from Israeli authorities to immediately evacuate al-Quds hospital, where some 14,000 people have sought shelter.

Israel has accused Hamas of locating command centres and other military infrastructure in Gaza hospitals, which the group denies. Palestinian officials said about 50,000 people had also taken shelter in Shifa Hospital, adding that they were concerned about Israeli threats to the facility. Israel has tightened its blockade and bombarded the besieged enclave relentlessly. It has also stepped up operations against groups in the West Bank, killing scores of Palestinians and arresting hundreds.Two Palestinians were killed and nine injured on Monday during an Israeli raid on the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp, Palestinian official news agency WAFA said. Israeli air strikes hit areas near Gaza City’s Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals, and Palestinian fighters clashed with Israeli forces in a border area east of the city of Khan Younis, in the enclave’s south, Palestinian media said.

There was no comment from Hamas or the Israeli military on Monday’s fighting. The bombardments came hours after Israel released images of battle tanks on the west coast of the Palestinian enclave, signalling a potential effort to surround Gaza’s main city two days after the Israeli government ordered expanded ground incursions across its eastern border.

Some pictures posted online also appeared to show Israeli soldiers waving an Israeli flag deep inside Gaza. Reuters could not verify the images. Israel’s self-declared “second phase” of a three-week war against Hamas fighters has been largely kept from public view, with forces moving under darkness and a telecommunications blackout cutting off Palestinians.