The USA is demanding a change of strategy from the Jewish state.
According to eyewitnesses, the Israeli army and Hamas fought fierce battles throughout the Gaza Strip this Friday, while the United States tried to convince the leaders of the Jewish state of the need to protect civilians in Gaza and conduct more targeted operations against Hamas.
Gaza residents 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 northern edge of the southern capital Khan Younes. Hospitals in Deir al Balah, Khan Yunis and Rafah reported a new influx of dead and injured, including two children, early Friday.
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Rafah killed four people and Israeli tanks shelled targets east of the city near the Egyptian border, according to medics and witnesses.
The Israeli military said on Friday that its forces destroyed a Hamas command and control center in the hotly contested Chedjaia district of Gaza City and carried out a “targeted raid” in Khan Yunis.
The heavy fighting, confirmed by numerous local residents and combatant sources contacted by Portal, raises questions about whether Israel's two-month air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has weakened Hamas.
“We have nothing to lose”
“The Gaza Strip turned into a fireball overnight, we could hear explosions and gunfire from all directions,” said Ahmed, 45, from a shelter in a central Gaza neighborhood.
“They can destroy houses and streets and kill civilians from the air or through indiscriminate tank fire, but if they meet resistance, they lose. We have nothing to lose after what they have done to our Gaza Strip,” he added.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan arrived in Israel on Thursday, where he sought to convince Jewish state leaders of the need to protect civilians in Gaza and conduct more targeted operations against Hamas.
Four people, including two children, were killed and several others injured when an Israeli strike hit a house in Khan Yunis early Friday, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israel is bombing the Gaza Strip with no sign of a cessation of fighting or a ceasefire that would allow the delivery of essential supplies to help civilians whose homes have been destroyed survive.
According to the latest report from the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli military operations have left nearly 19,000 dead and thousands missing.
Washington wants a change of strategy
Jake Sullivan discussed Thursday how Israel could conduct lower-intensity operations focused on specific targets.
However, a senior US government official told reporters that it would be “irresponsible” to give a precise timeline on the issue.
According to the official, Jake Sullivan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed efforts to release hostages still held in Gaza.
The U.S. envoy also stressed the need to protect civilians, and Israeli defense officials detailed “the extraordinary efforts they are making to try to separate civilians from Hamas,” the official said.
US President Joe Biden said on Thursday he wanted Israel to “focus on how to save civilian lives, not that it stop targeting Hamas, but that it act more carefully.”