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Saturday, Israel continued its ground offensive south of the enclave. In Tel Aviv, thousands of people demonstrated, calling for the return of hostages held in Gaza and early elections to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Gaza Strip witnesses a staggering rise in casualties, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects calls for Palestinian statehood.
Health officials in the Gaza Strip reported on Saturday a surging death toll in fighting with Israel. According to the Ministry of Health, at least 165 people were killed over the previous 24 hours, more than double Friday's figure.
An AFP correspondent reported gunfire, air strikes and tank shelling, especially in southern Gaza's Khan Younes city.
In Rafah, further south near the border with Egypt, at least five people were killed in a strike that "targeted a civilian car;" said the Ministry of Health.
Israel is pressing its push southwards against Hamas, after the army in early January said the militants' command structure in northern Gaza had been dismantled, leaving only isolated fighters.
But Hamas reported fierce combat in north Gaza as Israel's military said troops backed by air and naval support were striking militant infrastructure throughout the Palestinian territory, including the north.
Israel's relentless bombardment and ground offensive have killed at least 24,927 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas government's Ministry of Health.
On another hand, thousands of people demonstrated in central Tel Aviv on Saturday, calling for the return of hostages held in Gaza and early elections to oust Benjamin Netanyahu.
Demonstrators marched through the city's Habima Square, a frequent protest site, with some carrying signs calling Netanyahu "the face of evil" and demanding "elections now."
Protesters demanding the return of hostages also gathered in Haifa and outside the premier's Jerusalem residence.
In this context, and in a briefing on Saturday evening, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops had found a tunnel in Khan Younes in the southern Gaza Strip where some hostages had been kept.
"We found evidence indicating the presence of hostages," he said. This evidence included paintings, including by a five-year-old captive.
He said "about 20 hostages" had been held in the tunnel at different times "in difficult conditions without daylight... with little oxygen and terrible humidity".
Soldiers entered the tunnel where they encountered militants and fought a battle in which "the terrorists were eliminated", Hagari said.
The United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, has urged it to take more care to protect civilians, and the two sides have disagreed over Gaza's future governance.
In fact, Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden discussed on Friday the post-war future of Gaza amid a dire humanitarian situation.
Biden said it was still possible Netanyahu could agree to some form of Palestinian state after the two leaders spoke for the first time in nearly a month.
But Netanyahu's office, Saturday in a statement, said he "reiterated his policy that after Hamas is destroyed Israel must retain security control over Gaza to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, a requirement that contradicts the demand for Palestinian sovereignty."
For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Uganda, said the Palestinian right to statehood "must be recognised by all."
"The refusal to accept a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people, are unacceptable," he said.
With AFP
The Gaza Strip witnesses a staggering rise in casualties, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects calls for Palestinian statehood.
Health officials in the Gaza Strip reported on Saturday a surging death toll in fighting with Israel. According to the Ministry of Health, at least 165 people were killed over the previous 24 hours, more than double Friday's figure.
An AFP correspondent reported gunfire, air strikes and tank shelling, especially in southern Gaza's Khan Younes city.
In Rafah, further south near the border with Egypt, at least five people were killed in a strike that "targeted a civilian car;" said the Ministry of Health.
Israel is pressing its push southwards against Hamas, after the army in early January said the militants' command structure in northern Gaza had been dismantled, leaving only isolated fighters.
But Hamas reported fierce combat in north Gaza as Israel's military said troops backed by air and naval support were striking militant infrastructure throughout the Palestinian territory, including the north.
Israel's relentless bombardment and ground offensive have killed at least 24,927 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas government's Ministry of Health.
Demonstrations in Tel Aviv
On another hand, thousands of people demonstrated in central Tel Aviv on Saturday, calling for the return of hostages held in Gaza and early elections to oust Benjamin Netanyahu.
Demonstrators marched through the city's Habima Square, a frequent protest site, with some carrying signs calling Netanyahu "the face of evil" and demanding "elections now."
Protesters demanding the return of hostages also gathered in Haifa and outside the premier's Jerusalem residence.
In this context, and in a briefing on Saturday evening, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops had found a tunnel in Khan Younes in the southern Gaza Strip where some hostages had been kept.
"We found evidence indicating the presence of hostages," he said. This evidence included paintings, including by a five-year-old captive.
He said "about 20 hostages" had been held in the tunnel at different times "in difficult conditions without daylight... with little oxygen and terrible humidity".
Soldiers entered the tunnel where they encountered militants and fought a battle in which "the terrorists were eliminated", Hagari said.
'Retain control'
The United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, has urged it to take more care to protect civilians, and the two sides have disagreed over Gaza's future governance.
In fact, Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden discussed on Friday the post-war future of Gaza amid a dire humanitarian situation.
Biden said it was still possible Netanyahu could agree to some form of Palestinian state after the two leaders spoke for the first time in nearly a month.
But Netanyahu's office, Saturday in a statement, said he "reiterated his policy that after Hamas is destroyed Israel must retain security control over Gaza to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, a requirement that contradicts the demand for Palestinian sovereignty."
For his part, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Uganda, said the Palestinian right to statehood "must be recognised by all."
"The refusal to accept a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, and the denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people, are unacceptable," he said.
With AFP
This Is Beirut
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