Israel-Gaza war: Hamas fighters seek to block Israeli army’s advance on Gaza City, hospitals are beyond ‘catastrophic’

An Israeli strike targeted a residential building in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza on Thursday, resulting in the death of at least 15 individuals, according to a spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defense. Mahmoud Bassal, in an interview with Al Jazeera television, expressed the difficulties faced by civil defense vehicles and first responders in reaching the site to clear the debris. Residents reported that numerous individuals were trapped under the rubble. The strike resulted in a large crater and caused significant damage to the surrounding structures. A survivor likened the aftermath of the strike to an earthquake.

Bassal further elaborated on the struggles faced by Gaza Civil Defense paramedics and first-responders, attributing them to a crippled infrastructure and fuel shortages. They have been relying on fuel donations from individual Palestinians to operate ambulances and other vehicles, as Israel has imposed a ban on fuel transportation into Gaza. Concurrently, Israeli tanks and troops advanced towards Gaza City on Thursday, encountering fierce resistance from Hamas militants who utilized mortars and hit-and-run tactics from tunnels. The Palestinian death toll has been steadily rising due to nearly four weeks of bombardments.

The war is encroaching on the main population center in the northern Gaza Strip, with Israel issuing evacuation orders as it pledges to annihilate the Islamist group. 'We are at the gates of Gaza City,' stated Israeli military commander Brigadier General Itzik Cohen. Fighters from Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have been employing guerilla-style operations, emerging from tunnels to fire at tanks before disappearing back into the network. This has been happening against a far more powerful army. 'They never stopped bombing Gaza City all night, the house never stopped shaking,' shared a resident who wished to remain anonymous. 'But in the morning we discover the Israeli forces are still outside the city, in the outskirts and that means the resistance is heavier than they expected.