Intense clashes reported between Israeli army and Hamas in southern Gaza

The Israeli army intensified its operations against the Palestinian Hamas movement in southern Gaza on Tuesday, with witnesses reporting fierce battles, raising concerns of a "more horrifying scenario" for civilians. 

The Israeli army, conducting a ground assault in the northern besieged sector since October 27, expanded its ground operations to include the entire Gaza Strip, deploying tanks near Khan Yunis, which has become a new focal point of tensions. 

At the start of the ground operation, the Israeli army instructed residents of northern Gaza to evacuate to the more crowded southern part of the sector, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge. 

Witnesses reported to Agence France-Presse about intense clashes near Khan Yunis during the night and aerial bombardment towards Rafah in the southern part of the sector.  

The Palestinian news agency, WAFA, mentioned the "fall of several" casualties in the shelling of Gaza City. 

In contrast, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced from an official Telegram account, "The occupation city of Be'er Sheva was targeted with a missile barrage in response to the massacres against civilians." 

International organizations expressed concern about the dangers facing civilians in Gaza, where "phone and internet communication services have stopped" due to the damage to main routes, which were previously reconnected but severed again from the Israeli side, according to the Palestinian telecommunications company, Paltel. 

The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Palestine, Lynn Hastings, who Israel announced last week would not renew her visa, said, "A more horrifying scenario is about to unfold, a scenario that humanitarian operations may not have the capacity to respond to." 

AFP