Israeli forces began a new assault on the city of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza on Wednesday, including targeting a refugee camp, after receiving new information about militant activity in the area.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) advanced into Bureij and the eastern part of Deir el-Balah following airstrikes on what it said were military compounds, weapons storage facilities and underground infrastructure, the military said on Telegram.
The IDF noted that it has already eliminated several fighters, but that fighting continues in the central Gaza area.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society accused Israel of attacking several houses in the Al-Ja’frawi area, east of Deir al-Balah, killing six and injuring eight others.
Israeli troops are also continuing operations in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians sheltering there were forced to flee after initial military activity began late last month.
The fighting indicates that Israel continues to face resistance from Hamas after fighting the Palestinian militant group for nearly eight months and now across the Gaza Strip. Several times, Israeli forces have had to return to hospitals, facilities and sections in northern Gaza that had previously been evacuated.
The operations also show that Israel remains committed to dismantling Hamas, even as international pressure mounts to end the war, where more than 36,000 people have died, according to local health officials. Israel also sparked widespread outrage after an Israeli attack in late May on a refugee camp in Rafah killed at least 45 people, mostly women and children, after a fire broke out.
Israel also controls all humanitarian aid crossings into Gaza, including Rafah, and maintains control over Gaza after Israeli forces last month seized the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land between the coastal territory and Egypt.
But Israeli officials say the country must continue fighting to defeat Hamas after Palestinian fighters invaded southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking around 250 others hostage – with around 130 hostages still in Gaza. It is unclear how many hostages survived, although some estimates put it at around 80.
President Biden last week announced a deal that would provide for the return of the hostages and create a lasting ceasefire while negotiations continue, but it is unclear whether Israel and Hamas will finalize the agreement.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
