TANKS PUSH DEEPER INTO GAZA CITY
Nearly two years into the war, Israel describes Gaza City as the last bastion of Hamas. Since Israel launched its ground assault on the city this month, the military has been demolishing housing blocks it says were being used by the group.
On Monday, residents said Israeli tanks had advanced deeper into the Sheikh Radwan area and Jala Street in northern Gaza City, where the two hospitals are located, while in Tel Al-Hawa in the southeast tanks had pushed deeper in the direction of the western parts of the city.
They said Israeli forces had used explosive-laden vehicles, detonated remotely, to blow up dozens of houses in the two areas.
In a meeting on Monday at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv with Defence Minister Israel Katz and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his determination to eliminate Hamas, secure the release of the remaining hostages and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, his office said.
The offensive has alarmed the families of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Twenty of those 48 captives are thought to still be alive.
Hamas’ military wing released a video on Monday of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel, 24. It was not immediately clear when the video was recorded. Ohel was last seen in a video released by Hamas on September 5.
A representative said that Ohel’s family had consented to the media identifying Ohel but had not given permission for the video to be published. The video was released on the eve of the Jewish New Year, known in Hebrew as Rosh Hashanah.
