NEW DELHI: Israel deployed tanks to eastern Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip early on Sunday following a night of intense aerial and ground attacks, resulting in the deaths of 19 individuals and injuries to many more, as reported by health officials.
Jabalia is the largest among Gaza's eight historical refugee camps. It houses over 100,000 individuals, the majority of whom are the offspring of Palestinians who were displaced from towns and villages in present-day Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, which resulted in the establishment of the state of Israel.
On Saturday evening, the Israeli military stated that their forces in Jabalia are stopping Hamas, the governing body of Gaza, from rebuilding its military strength in that area.
"We identified in the past weeks attempts by Hamas to rehabilitate its military capabilities in Jabalia. We are operating there to eliminate those attempts," said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israel's military spokesperson, during a briefing to reporters.
Hagari also mentioned that approximately 30 Palestinian militants were killed by Israeli forces in the Zeitoun district of Gaza City.
"Bombardment from the air and ground hasn't stopped since yesterday, they were bombing everywhere, including near schools that are housing people who lost their houses," said Saed, 45, a resident of Jabalia.
"War is restarting, this is how it looks in Jabalia," he told Reuters via a chat app. "The new incursion forces many families to evacuate."
The army deployed tanks again in Al-Zeitoun, an eastern suburb of Gaza City, and in Al-Sabra. Residents in Al-Sabra also witnessed heavy bombardments that resulted in the destruction of several houses, including high-rise residential buildings.
The army had stated that they had taken control of the majority of these areas several months earlier.
There was a gunfight on the outskirts of Deir al-Balah.
Tanks did not invade eastern Deir Al-Balah city, residents and Hamas media said, but some Israeli tanks and bulldozers penetrated the fence on the outskirts of the city prompting a gunfight with Hamas fighters.
Two doctors, a father, and his son were killed in an air strike that took place late on Saturday in Deir Al-Balah according to health officials.
The armed wing of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad stated that their fighters launched attacks on Israeli forces in various areas within Gaza using anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs. This included Rafah, which was previously the Palestinians' last refuge where over a million people were seeking shelter.
The war started with an attack led by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7th, resulting in the death of around 1,200 people and over 250 people being taken hostage, as reported by Israeli sources.
According to Gaza's health ministry, approximately 35,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's military operation in Gaza. The bombardment has devastated the coastal enclave and led to a severe humanitarian crisis.
On Sunday, many families, roughly estimated to be in the thousands, were departing from Rafah as the Israeli military pressure increased. Tank shells fell throughout the city as the army issued new evacuation orders that included certain neighborhoods in the city center, adjacent to Egypt.
"As I moved out of Rafah, I passed through Khan Younis, I cried, I didn't know if was I crying for what I was passing through, the humiliation and the feeling of loss I felt or for what I have seen," said Tamer Al-Burai, a resident from Gaza, who had been sheltering in Rafah.
"I saw a ghost city, all buildings on the two sides of the road, complete districts were wiped out. People are fleeing for safety, knowing there was no place safe, and there are no tents and no people to care for them," he told Reuters.
Burai, a businessman from Palestine, mentioned that the Palestinian people were deserted by the global community and were forced to confront their fate as the conflict reached its eighth month. Despite the efforts of world powers and international mediation to achieve a ceasefire, the negotiations collapsed due to disagreements between Hamas and Israel.
"No ceasefire, no UN decision, no hope," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)