The Israeli armed forces continued their offensive in Shejaiya, a neighbourhood in the east of the city of Gaza, on Sunday.
Over the past few days, the troops have eliminated several fighters from the Palestinian Islamist Hamas militia, found weapons and carried out targeted attacks on booby-trapped fighting positions, the Israeli army announced on Sunday morning.
Palestinians in Shejaiya are trapped by the fighting, Qatari-based Al Jazeera news network reported on its website, citing eyewitnesses.
Threatened by artillery fire and airstrikes for days, they have been unable to find food, the report said. Some people were injured, but rescue services were unable to reach them, it said.
The information provided by all sides could not initially be independently verified.
Israeli units also took action against Hamas in the southern city of Rafah on the border with Egypt, the army said. In the last few days, the troops there had eliminated several fighters and destroyed tunnels, it said.
At least six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the west of Rafah on Sunday morning, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, citing local sources. This information could not be independently verified either.
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented massacre of more than 1,200 people by militants from Hamas and other groups in Israel on October 7. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive to crush Hamas and its allies.
In view of the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel is being increasingly criticized internationally.
