Israeli forces continue bombing of central Gaza

Smoke billowing from inside the Palestinian territory amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. Pics/AP

Israeli forces bombarded Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza on Tuesday, residents said, in apparent preparation to expand their ground offensive into a third section of the besieged territory.

The opening of a potential new battle zone points to the long and destructive road still ahead as Israel vows to crush Hamas after its October 7 attack on southern Israel. For weeks, Israeli forces have been engaged in heavy urban fighting in northern Gaza and in the southern city of Khan Younis, driving Palestinians into further smaller corners of territory in search of refuge.

Palestinians mourn their relatives, killed in an overnight Israeli strike on the Al-Maghazi refugee camp

Despite international pressure for a cease-fire and US calls for a reduction in civilian casualties, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned that the fight "isn't close to finished".

Israel's offensive has been one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than 20,600 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants among the dead.

Meanwhile, there were new signs of the Israel-Hamas war enflaming tensions around the region. An Israeli airstrike in Syria killed an Iranian general, bringing vows of revenge from Iran. US warplanes hit Iranian-backed militias in Iraq who had carried out a drone strike that wounded American soldiers there.

Oct 7
Day Hamas militants attacked Israel

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