(Updated with opening by Kerem Shalom, Sullivan)
by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Fadi Shana and Ari Rabinovitch
CAIRO/GAZA/JERUSALEM, Dec 15 (Reuters) – The Israeli army and Hamas engaged in fierce fighting across the Gaza Strip on Friday, witnesses said, as the United States tried to convince leaders of the Jewish state of the need to protect civilians in Gaza and to further target operations against Hamas.
Gazans reported fighting in Chedjaïa, Sheikh Radwane, Zeitoun, Touffah and Beit Hanoun in the north of the Palestinian enclave, east of Maghazi in the center of the Gaza Strip and in the center and the northern outskirts of the main southern city, Khan Younes.
Hospitals in Deir al Balah, Khan Yunis and Rafah reported a new influx of dead and injured early Friday, including two children. Four people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Rafah and Israeli tanks were firing at targets east of the town near the Egyptian border, according to medics and witnesses.
The Israeli military said Friday that its forces destroyed a Hamas command and control center in Gaza City’s hotly contested Chedjaia neighborhood and carried out a “targeted raid” in Khan Yunis.
The heavy fighting, confirmed by numerous residents and combatant sources contacted by Reuters, raises the question of whether Israel’s two-month air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has weakened Hamas.
THE UNITED STATES WANTS A CHANGE IN STRATEGY
“The Gaza Strip turned into a ball of fire overnight, we could hear explosions and gunshots coming from all directions,” Ahmed, 45, said from a shelter in a central neighborhood from the Gaza Strip.
“They can destroy homes and roads and kill civilians from the air or through indiscriminate tank fire, but when they encounter resistance, they lose. We have nothing to lose after all that they did to our Gaza,” he added.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan arrived in Israel on Thursday where he tried to convince the Jewish state’s leaders of the need to protect civilians in Gaza and to more target operations against Hamas .
Jake Sullivan said on Friday, following what were described as “very constructive” discussions with Benjamin Netanyahu, that the war would enter a new phase focused on the precise targeting of Hamas leaders and on intelligence-led operations.
The American adviser estimates that it will take Israel several months to achieve its objectives. However, instead of massive, large-scale shelling, the fighting will take place in stages, he added.
Four people, including two children, were killed and several others injured early Friday when an Israeli strike hit a house in Khan Yunis, according to Palestinian health officials.
Israel is pounding the Gaza Strip with no sign of a break in fighting or a ceasefire that would allow the delivery of basic necessities that would help civilians whose homes were destroyed survive.
According to the latest report provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israeli military operations have left nearly 19,000 dead and thousands of people missing.
Israel has also approved the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing point, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s office.
This temporary authorization will allow Israel to fulfill its commitment to allow the entry of 200 aid trucks per day, in accordance with the hostage deal negotiated last month.
The crossing had been closed after the Hamas attack on October 7 and aid delivered only through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which Israel says can only allow the entry of 100 trucks per day. day.
(Reporting Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, Fadi Shana and Mohammed Salem in Gaza, Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem, Andrea Shalal, Jeff Mason and Eric Beech in Washington; French version Camille Raynaud, Augustin Turpin and Kate Entringer, edited by Tangi Salaün)
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