Key Points
- Fighting between Israel and Hamas continued in Gaza City and Khan Younis.
- Benjamin Netanyahu says the remaining Hamas battalions lie in the south near Gaza's border with Egypt.
- The news has raised the alarm for thousands of Palestinians who have fled to the area to avoid the conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says 17 out of 24 of Hamas' battalions in Gaza have been annihilated.
In Gaza City and in Khan Younis in the south, the fighting between the two sides has continued, showing Hamas still has some control in the area.
Netanyahu said the majority of Hamas' forces have now gathered in Gaza's south, in areas such as the Rafah border with Egypt.
A statement from his office has reiterated Israel's determination to destroy the rest of Hamas' battalions.
Gaza health authorities, who do not differentiate between militants and civilians in their tallies, said on Sunday more than 27,300 Palestinians have been confirmed killed the war. They say that 70 per cent of those killed were women and children.
Thousands more are feared lost amid the ruins. Munir al-Bursh, director of the Gaza health ministry, said dozens of decomposing bodies were recovered from northern areas evacuated by Israeli forces.
Israel says it has killed some 10,000 gunmen in its campaign to annihilate Hamas after the 7 October attack by the group, which is sworn to Israel's destruction. In the rampage, 1,200 people were killed and 253 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Push to the south a source of alarm for Palestinian refugees
A potential push into the south of Gaza by the Israeli troops has alarmed thousands of Palestinians who have fled to the Rafah border to try to escape the conflict.
It has also caused concern to Egypt, which says it will not be accepting any Palestinian refugees.
However, according to an Israeli official, the army would coordinate its efforts with Egypt for the relocation of the displaced towards the north before the start of the ground sweep in Rafah.
Israeli soldiers drive a tank on the border with the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel. Source: AP / Ariel Schalit
Mohammed Kaloub, one of the girls' relatives, said the house in Rafah's al-Salam neighbourhood was full of women and children when it was hit by an airstrike.
"There is no safe place in Gaza, from the wire fence to the wire fence (borders from north to south), there is no safe place," he said.
According to Palestinian health officials, eight people were killed in separate airstrikes by Israel on Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Israeli forces continue operations in Gaza City and Khan Younis
Following partial pull-outs from Gaza City during the last couple of weeks, allowing local residents to return and go through the rubble, Israeli forces are now mounting incursions.
Netanyahu has described them as "clean-up operations".
Several buildings were destroyed by airstrikes early on Sunday, including a housing project funded by Egypt.
The Israeli military claims to have killed seven gunmen belonging to Hamas in northern Gaza.
The Israeli army radio says soldiers are trying to break into two bunkers belonging to Hamas in the area, in a mission that could take up to two weeks.
"Gaza is being wiped out," said a local resident.
Meanwhile, in Khan Younis, three Palestinians were killed overnight by Israeli shelling, according to medics.
Israel says a soldier was killed in the fighting on Sunday, with local residents reporting clashes had become more violent in the southern and western parts of the city.
Israeli forces claim they killed several gunmen and seized a compound belonging to Hamas.
Netanyahu says his troops are going through the tunnels that run through Gaza and allow gunmen to launch their ambushes.
