Israeli forces continued their offensive on Sunday in Shejaiya, a neighborhood in eastern Gaza City.
In recent days, troops have eliminated several fighters from the Palestinian Islamist Hamas militia, recovered weapons and carried out targeted attacks on booby-trapped fighting positions, the Israeli army said on Sunday morning.
Palestinians in Shejaiya are trapped by the fighting, Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera reported on its website, citing eyewitnesses.
Threatened for days by artillery fire and airstrikes, they were unable to find food, the report said. Some people were injured, but rescue services were unable to reach them, the report said.
The information provided by all parties could not initially be independently verified.
Israeli units also took action against Hamas in the southern city of Rafah on the border with Egypt, the army said. In recent days, troops there had eliminated several fighters and destroyed tunnels, the army said.
At least six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in western Rafah on Sunday morning, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, citing local sources. This information also could not be independently verified.
The Gaza War was sparked by the unprecedented massacre of more than 1,200 people by militants from Hamas and other groups in Israel on October 7. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive to crush Hamas and its allies.
Given the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel is increasingly criticized internationally.
