“This is the end, surrender!” », Benjamin Netanyahu commands Hamas fighters

Israeli tanks entered the center of Khan Yunis, a major city in the south of the Gaza Strip, which has become the scene of heavy clashes, Reuters news agency reported, citing witnesses. According to residents, armored vehicles reached the main artery between the city’s north and south, which slowed their advance from the eastern neighborhoods after heavy fighting overnight, and the Israeli Air Force tank bombarded the west of the advance.

“It was one of the most painful nights. The resistance was very strong. We could hear gunshots and explosions that did not stop for hours.The father, who did not want to be named, told Reuters that he arrived in Khan Yunis after fleeing Gaza City, north of the enclave. The tanks reached Kamal-Abdel-Nasser Street in the city center. Snipers took up positions on the roofs of nearby buildings. »

The majority of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents have already been forced to leave since the Israeli response to Hamas attacks in southern Israel began on October 7. Some have been moved multiple times. According to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which is allied with Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, members of the movement have been fighting Israeli forces in the area. The Israeli military said it bombed access shafts to tunnels in Khan Yunis and struck an ambush of armed Palestinian commandos. She did not mention the progress of her tanks.

Both camps reported intense fighting in the enclave’s north, where the Israeli army said it carried out the bulk of its mission last month. Explosions rang out in the area at dawn and plumes of smoke were seen from Israeli territory.