Israel escalates attacks as aid agencies warn Gaza on brink of catastrophe
Al Jazeera
Israel intensifies assaults in north and central Gaza as aid groups warn crisis in Rafah ‘defies imagination’.
Israel has continued its military push in across Gaza, with fierce urban gun battles between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups taking place in the Jabalia camp in the north to the southern city of Rafah, which borders Egypt.
In the northern Jabalia district, now widely destroyed, residents said Israeli tanks had destroyed clusters of homes but were facing heavy resistance from fighters with the Palestinian group Hamas, which governs Gaza and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed group on Wednesday.
“They are bombing houses on top of their inhabitants,” said Abu Jehad.
The PIJ claimed it killed some Israeli soldiers in Jabalia, while Israel’s military said it eliminated many fighters in the area.
Israel sent troops back into areas in northern Gaza earlier this week after claiming they had defeated Hamas there months ago.
