Israeli forces attacked north Gaza’s central city from both sides.

Three days after Israel started ground operations in the Palestinian territory that have raised international pressure for civilians to be protected, Israeli troops and tanks launched an eastward and westward assault on Gaza’s key northern metropolis on Monday.

As it increased ground operations in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian residents are in desperate need of food, gasoline, and clean water as the conflict moves into its fourth week, Israel’s military stated that it had hit more than 600 terrorist targets in the last several days.

“IDF soldiers killed dozens of terrorists who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels and attempted to attack the troops,” the military claimed, saying that four well-known Hamas operatives were among them.

As it pursues Hamas fighters it believes are hidden in a maze of tunnels underneath Gaza City, Israel launched a major offensive into Gaza late on Friday and reiterated demands for residents to relocate from the tiny coastal enclave’s northern to southern directions.

Residents stated on Monday that Israeli troops had launched many airstrikes on the eastern side of the area. Some even mentioned hearing the sound of tanks moving in during intense gunfire.

Subsequently, locals reported to the media office of the Hamas-run government that the tanks had retreated in the direction of the heavily guarded perimeter around Gaza. The armed branch of the insurgents said that heavy mortar fire had forced them back.

According to locals, the north-south coast route received numerous air and water strikes west of the region where Israel on Sunday displayed tanks on the Mediterranean shore.

Israel did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request to confirm the stories.

Fearful of losing their houses and alarmed by reports of Israeli airstrikes farther south, a large number of Palestinians have stayed in Gaza City.

According to Palestinian health officials, airstrikes on Monday struck close to several facilities in the city, including the Turkish Friendship Hospital, Al-Shifa Hospital, and Al-Quds Hospital. In hospitals in the north, 117,000 people are taking refuge alongside thousands of patients and medical professionals, according to the UU.N. humanitarian office, OCHA.

Although Hamas disputes the accusations, Israel has claimed that the organization has placed command centers and other military hardware in Gaza hospitals.

Air strikes were also audible east of Khan Younis, where Palestinian media said that Hamas engaged in combat with Israeli soldiers, and in the southern villages of Rafah, close to Gaza’s sole unobstructed border crossing with Egypt.

While telecom companies reported that some regions of the north were down, OCHA declared on Monday that services were “largely restored” following the easing of the phone and internet outages that had shut down Gaza on Friday.

A CRASH IN THE WEST BANK
According to Israel, 1,400 people lost their lives when terrorists headed by Hamas overran the southern region of the nation on October 7 and kidnapped 229 individuals. Thus far, Hamas has made four releases and claimed that 50 people have died in retaliation strikes.

2.3 million people are living in Hamas-run Gaza, and medical officials there said on Monday that 8,306 people have died, including 3,457 kids.

According to OCHA, it was difficult for rescuers to get individuals. “As of October 29, about 1,800 people, including at least 940 children, have been reported missing and may be trapped or dead under the rubble, awaiting rescue or recovery,” added the statement.

The U.S. office added that no casualties had been reported from the indiscriminate rocket fire that armed groups continued to make at Israel.

The Israeli Defense Ministry released video footage purporting to depict military maneuvers within Gaza, including tanks on a major thoroughfare, soldiers inside buildings, and airstrikes against what it claimed were Hamas-occupied structures.

Reuters could not independently confirm the location and time of the footage, and the Israeli military stated it would not provide the area for filming.

“We are attacking from the air while moving from the ground to identify the terrorists. Terrorists and ground troops are also directly interacting. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the military, stated that the fighting was occurring within the Gaza Strip.

In Jenin, an Israeli-occupied West Bank city, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Islamist organization, claimed to be fighting Israeli soldiers. Four individuals were reportedly murdered there on Monday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israel claimed that an airstrike killed many combatants.

Israel claimed to have detained 700 Hamas members in the West Bank, where it claims its soldiers are frequently the target of gunfire.

Since October 7, 121 individuals have died in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. One thousand six hundred eighty people, including women, older people, and kids, were held, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Association.

AERIAL DEPARTURE IN RUSSIA
The war has sparked large-scale international protests in favor of the Palestinians, while antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents and harassment are on the rise.

When an Israeli jet landed on Sunday, hundreds of anti-Israel protestors rushed to the airport in the predominantly Muslim area of Dagestan, Russia, claiming control of the facilities and the arrest of 60 people.

Before security personnel were able to calm the disturbance, twenty people reportedly suffered injuries. Security personnel informed Reuters that all of the people on board were safe.

Israel’s escalating ground strikes on the Gaza Strip have sparked international calls for a “humanitarian pause” to allow aid into Gaza.

A source with knowledge of the negotiations between Israel and Hamas through Qatar claims that in exchange for a five-day ceasefire in Israeli operations that would allow fuel and supplies into Gaza, Hamas demands the release of all civilian hostages held by the terrorist organization.

According to the Israeli authorities, nearly 50% of the captives detained by Hamas own passports from 25 different nations.

The most oversized delivery yet, according to OCHA, consisted of 33 trucks bringing food, water, and medical supplies into Gaza on Sunday. However, more was needed to address immediate demands and avert social unrest. On Sunday, people flocked to relief stores in pursuit of food.

There are worries that the battle may spread, especially to Lebanon, where the Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia have been exchanging gunfire. Iran supports Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region.

Israeli airstrikes on Monday, according to Syrian state TV, hit two army stations in Daraa and resulted in “some material losses.”