The fighting was the most intense since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas broke last week. Israeli forces also fought in Jabaliya, a large urban refugee camp and Hamas stronghold to the north next to Gaza City, and Shujaiya to the east, Finkelman said.
Hamas’s armed wing said it killed or wounded eight Israeli soldiers and destroyed 24 military vehicles on Tuesday. An Israeli military website listed the deaths of two soldiers on Tuesday and 83 soldiers since the ground operation began.
Gaza health officials said several civilians were killed in an Israeli attack on homes in Deir al-Balah, north of Khan Yunis. Dr. Iyad al-Jabri, head of the Shuhada al-Aqsa hospital there, told Reuters that at least 45 people had been killed. Reuters could neither reach the area nor confirm the death toll.
Israel launched its campaign on October 7 in response to attacks by Hamas fighters, who ransacked Israeli cities, killing 1,200 people and capturing 240 hostages, according to Israeli numbers.
Israeli police are investigating alleged sex crimes and the Israeli Justice Ministry has stated that “the victims were tortured, physically assaulted, raped, burned alive and dismembered”.
Hamas’ media office said on Tuesday that at least 16,248 people, including 7,112 children and 4,885 women, have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 7. Thousands of people are missing and are feared buried under the debris.
Those figures were not immediately verified by the Gaza Health Ministry.