Hamas officials say gunmen have forced Israeli tank units to withdraw from the outskirts of Gaza City, insisting the opposition has not advanced into residential areas.
"There was absolutely no ground advance in the residential areas of the Gaza Strip. Several Israeli tanks and a bulldozer appeared on Salah al-Din Street, firing at two civilian cars and destroying the road surface, before the resistance forces forced them to retreat," Salama Maarouf, head of Hamas' executive office in the Gaza Strip, said today.
Israeli tanks deployed near the Gaza Strip on October 20. Photo: AFP
Mr. Maarouf did not reveal the situation that caused the Israeli forces to withdraw, but affirmed that the movement of Gazans on the Salah al-Din route had returned to normal.
The announcement came after AFP quoted witnesses as saying Israeli tanks had entered the outskirts of Gaza City, blocking the key Salah al-Din road from the north to the south of the territory. "They fired at every vehicle that tried to pass along that road," a witness said.
Video posted on social media shows a car travelling on Salah al-Din Street, before turning around and being fired upon by Israeli tanks.
Video of what is believed to be an Israeli tank attacking a car on Salah al-Din Street today. Video: X/manniefabian
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari refused to confirm the information.
Israel has recently launched localized attacks on the Gaza Strip, including lightning strikes in the northern and central parts of the region.
The operation intensified on October 27, when the Israeli military stepped up airstrikes and sent troops and tanks into the Gaza Strip, focusing on targeting infrastructure, including the tunnel network. However, the Israeli military said this was not the full-scale ground operation it had planned.
Major towns and border crossings in the Gaza Strip. Graphic: Guardian
The fighting has left more than 9,400 people dead and more than 25,600 injured on both sides. More than a million Palestinians have been ordered to evacuate the southern Gaza Strip. However, Hamas has reportedly asked residents not to leave their homes. Many civilians are also unable to move south.
Vu Anh (According to Al Jazeera, AFP )
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