Israeli forces bombed Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza on Tuesday and issued orders to residents to evacuate the area, signs that the army plans to expand its ground offensive to another section of the besieged territory.
Gaza’s main telecommunications provider, Paltel, announced another “total disruption” of services.
According to area residents, shelling and airstrikes were reported in the Nuseirat, Maghazi and Bureij camps.
This comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the northern Gaza Strip on Monday to address his troops.
Netanyahu said the war against Hamas will continue “until the end” in reference to an Egyptian proposal for a two-week ceasefire, which both Israel and Hamas rejected.
Despite international pressure for a ceasefire and calls from the United States to limit the number of civilian casualties, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday that the fighting is “nowhere near over.”
The intense fighting of recent weeks, mainly focused on northern Gaza, has forced Palestinians to retreat to small places in the territory in search of refuge.
The army reportedly intends to destroy approximately 70% of Hamas’ infrastructure, leaving the rest for new operations during the lower intensity phases of the fighting.
Still, Hamas fighters have shown resilience. The Israeli army announced the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing the total number of deaths in the ground offensive to 158.
The Israeli advance into central Gaza further reduces the area into which Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been forced to squeeze. More than 85% of the population has already been expelled from their homes.
Deir al Balah and Rafah, at the southern end of the Egyptian border, have been overwhelmed by displaced people, even as Israel bombards them.
UN officials say a quarter of Gaza’s population is starving under Israel’s siege, which is allowing in only a trickle of food, water, fuel, medicine and other supplies.
