Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip “will escalate”, the country’s chief military spokesperson has warned.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel Defence Forces (IDF) troops are deployed along the northern border and “prepared for any scenario”.
Dozens of militants were killed overnight, he added, but he refused to confirm the location of the ground forces after social media footage appeared to show tanks advancing on a main road in Gaza.
Israel-Gaza latest: IDF in ‘direct contact’ with Hamas
“Our activities and operations will continue and escalate according to the stages of the war,” Mr Hagari said.
“This is an expanded ground operation into the strip. Ground forces, tanks, infantry forces, armoured corp forces are moving towards the terrorists.
“The terrorists grouped together in certain areas to try to target our forces and we attack them from the air, that’s how we managed to assault and target 20 terrorists.
“There is also direct contact between the ground forces and the terrorists. The fighting is going on inside the Gaza Strip.”
Palestinians check damage to houses in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip
Israeli advances put their forces on both sides of Gaza City and surrounding areas of the north, in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “second stage” in the war.
UN and medical staff warned airstrikes are getting closer to hospitals, where thousands are wounded and tens of thousands have sought refuge.
According to UN figures, about 117,000 displaced people are staying in hospitals alongside thousands of patients and staff.
In other key developments:
• A German-Israeli woman kidnapped from a music festival by Hamas fighters has been found dead, Israel’s foreign ministry says
• A 25-year-old man is in a critical condition after a stabbing in Jerusalem, according to medics
• Anti-Israel protesters stormed a runway in Russia, reportedly chanting antisemitic slogans and looking for passengers on a flight from Tel Aviv
• British citizens trapped in Gaza ‘could be classed as hostages’, a minister suggests
Meanwhile, talks to free the 239 hostages held by Hamas since the group’s 7 October attack in Israel have stalled, according to NBC News, Sky’s US partner network.
The report refers to a former US official with knowledge of the negotiations, who said the militant group had demanded Israel allow fuel deliveries into Gaza.
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