Fighting between Israel and Hamas rages north and south of Gaza

by Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO, May 15 (Reuters) – Clashes between the Israeli army and fighters from Hamas and other Palestinian groups intensified overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday to a level not seen in months both in the north and south of the Gaza Strip, both sides said.

Israeli tanks entered the narrow streets of central Jabalia, a once-densely populated neighborhood northeast of Gaza City, where they encountered heavy resistance.

According to residents, several buildings were destroyed in areas from which the Israeli army had until now stayed away.

Islamic Jihad, which fights alongside Hamas, said its fighters killed and wounded several Israeli soldiers in the eastern part of Jabalia, originally the largest of eight refugee camps built in Gaza after the Israeli-Israeli war. Arabic from 1948.

“The invaders are bombing houses with residents inside. We know that many families are trapped in their houses,” said Abou Djihad, a resident of Jabalia who did not want to give his real name for fear of reprisals. , contacted via a messaging service.

The Israeli army confirmed that it had launched an operation against “terrorist” groups in central Jabalia, claiming to have eliminated “a large number” of them.

THE CALVARY OF CIVILIANS IN RAFAH

According to the IDF, this operation was launched after rocket fire which targeted the Israeli town of Sderot on Tuesday.

Gaza’s emergency services and health ministry said their teams were unable to reach areas where the Israeli army was operating to help the injured.

At the southern end of the Gaza Strip, where more than a million Palestinians have found refuge, the Israeli army continues its operations in neighborhoods to the east and southeast of the city of Rafah.

According to residents, the tanks are trying to advance towards the center of Rafah but there too they encounter fierce resistance.

Israel said it stormed a Hamas training center in eastern Rafah and eliminated Hamas fighters in close combat.

The IDF reported the death of one of its soldiers on Tuesday in this sector, the first since the start of the ground operation in Rafah according to the Israeli public channel Kan.

Israel has ordered civilians to evacuate parts of Rafah, and UNRWA, the main UN aid agency in Gaza, estimates that some 450,000 people have left the city since May 6.

These internally displaced people, many of whom had already fled other combat zones, are now crowding into areas totally devoid of suitable infrastructure, such as the coastal area of ​​Al Mawasi, recall the UN agencies which come to them. help. (Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, with Henriette Chacar, Clauda Tanios and Ari Rabinovitch; French version Tangi Salaün, edited by Kate Entringer)