Hamas says it battled Israeli troops inside Gaza
- Both Israel and Hamas report overnight fighting inside Gaza as besieged enclave endures one of its bloodiest days.
- Israel bombarded residential areas in Gaza including the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp and locations close to Gaza’s Al-Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals. Health officials say hundreds killed in bombardment
Analysis: Do Israeli ground troops know what to expect?
Andreas Krieg, senior lecturer in Security Studies at King’s College London, says Israeli ground forces will be faced with “an extremely difficult situation”.
“Nothing has ever been done on that scale. This is an unprecedented war in terms of the extensity, and the urban environment couldn’t be any more difficult,” he told Al Jazeera, saying he expected both ambushes and traps.
Krieg also argued that in terms of an urban combat in modern warfare, this is “worse than anything that we’ve seen pretty much” since World War II.
“I’m saying that because not only are you operating in a confined urban space but you are operating in a space where there is an open ground and there is an underground”, with 70-metre tunnels that have been reinforced with concrete.
“These are difficult to penetrate while Israel can’t really use its full agility of its military as well as its numerical superiority against Hamas fighters,” he added.
Lack of hygiene spreading diseases in Gaza: Ministry
The healthy ministry in the besieged coastal enclave has said that many cases of chickenpox and scabies have been reported by medical staff in various areas.
Diarrhea, especially among children, is also spreading die to lack of hygiene and the use of untreated water, the ministry said in a statement.
More from Palestinian PM Shtayyeh
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has accused Western nations of giving Israel a “licence to kill” in its war against Gaza.
“We condemn the statements that constitute a licence to kill and give Israel political cover to commit massacres and spread destruction in Gaza,” he said.
Earlier, we reported about his comments, in which he refers to an “Israeli murder and criminal machine” in the besieged coastal enclave.
Israel says two drones from Gaza ‘thwarted’
The Israeli army says it has foiled the drone attack from Gaza that we reported earlier.
“Two UAVs were identified crossing from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory,” the military said, near the Nir Oz and Ein HaBesor areas. “Both UAVs were thwarted.”
Hamas on social media claimed responsibility for the raid saying “Israeli military posts” were the targets.
‘Enough with the killing, we are drained’: Gaza residents
Limited supplies of aid have entered Gaza since Saturday, but displaced residents say the priority is for Israel’s relentless bombardment to stop.
“We don’t want aid, we want to return to our homes; enough with the killing of our children and slaughtering us,” Aziza Abu Mar said.
“We can’t sleep neither during the day nor at night because of the shelling and the misery we are living in. Enough, we do not have patience anymore, we are drained, we don’t feel human anymore.”
Another displaced person, Nasser Abu Amar, said he fled his home without taking anything with him except the shirt and trousers he was wearing.
“The aid they brought for us is nothing but a small amount of what is needed.”
