Palestinians in northern Gaza reported intense air and artillery strikes early on Monday as Israeli forces, supported by tanks, advanced into the territory in a ground assault that has triggered increasing international calls to protect civilians. Palestinian media reported that Israeli airstrikes hit areas near al-Shifa and al-Quds hospitals in Gaza City, while Palestinian militants clashed with Israeli forces in a border area east of Khan Younis in the southern sector.
The bombardment followed hours after Israel released images of armored tanks on the western coast of the Palestinian territory, indicating a possible attempt to besiege the main city of Gaza after two days of the Israeli government ordering an expansion of ground incursions across its eastern border. Some images posted online showed Israeli soldiers waving an Israeli flag deep inside Gaza, but Reuters could not verify the images.
The "second phase" declared by Israel in its three-week-long war against Iran-backed Hamas fighters remained largely out of view, with the forces moving under cover of darkness and Palestinian communications disrupted. It appeared that phone and internet communications partially resumed on Sunday; however, the Palestinian telecommunications company (Paltel) stated that Israeli airstrikes again caused outages in internet and phone services in parts of the northern sector, where Hamas command centers are located. The power outages severely hindered rescue operations for victims of the Israeli bombardment.
The strikes reportedly took place near the two hospitals after the Palestinian Red Crescent stated on Sunday that it had received warnings from Israeli authorities to evacuate al-Quds Hospital immediately, which shelters about 14,000 people. Israel accuses Hamas of establishing command centers and other military infrastructure within Gaza's hospitals, which the group denies.
Palestinian officials stated that approximately 50,000 people have also sought refuge at al-Shifa Hospital, expressing concern over ongoing Israeli threats to the facility. Israel tightened its blockade and has bombed Gaza since armed Hamas fighters crossed into Israel on October 7. Israeli authorities say that militants have killed around 1,400 people and taken at least 239 hostages.
