by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Fadi Shana and Ari Rabinovitch
CAIRO/GAZA/JERUSALEM (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 Hebrew 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 .
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.
Jake Sullivan discussed Thursday how Israel could conduct lower-intensity operations that focus on specific targets. A senior US administration official, however, told journalists that it would be “irresponsible” to give a precise timetable on this issue.
According to the official, Jake Sullivan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed efforts to free hostages still held in Gaza.
The US envoy also stressed the need to protect civilians and Israeli defense officials detailed “the extraordinary efforts they are making to try to separate the civilian population from Hamas”, the official said.
US President Joe Biden said Thursday he wants to see Israel “focus on how to save civilian lives, not that they stop targeting Hamas, but that they be more careful.”
(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 and Augustin Turpin, edited by Tangi Salaün)
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