The Israeli military has said its troops have advanced into the heart of Gaza City while Hamas said its fighters inflicted heavy losses in intense street battles.

Israeli troops secured a Hamas military stronghold called Compound 17 in Jabalia in northern Gaza after 10 hours of combat with Hamas above and below the ground, the Israeli military said.

Israeli forces are now moving closer to two hospitals where thousands of displaced Palestinians were seeking shelter, they said.

According to Reuters, Israeli military footage showed soldiers walking through rubble into a building where one wall had been blasted away. Inside they found weapons-manufacturing equipment and instruction manuals. They also uncovered a tunnel shaft replete with a cooling system, and nearby, a little girl’s bedroom with pink walls, pink wardrobes and three little beds.

Israeli soldiers inspect the entrance to what they say is a tunnel used by Hamas, during a ground operation in a location given as Gaza. — Reuters
Israeli soldiers inspect the entrance to what they say is a tunnel used by Hamas, during a ground operation in a location given as Gaza. — Reuters

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