Israeli armed forces pushed deeper into central and southern Gaza after clashes with Hamas militants, with Palestinian health officials saying Israeli strikes in the enclave killed 22 today. people, reported "Reuters", quoted by BTA.
The new escalation comes just hours after US President Joe Biden put pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urgently conclude a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and release the hostages.
Ceasefire talks have revolved around the same issue for months, but Israel and "Hamas" firmly stick to their demands, says "Reuters".
In the town of Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, a house was struck, killing 11 people, and another struck a house in al-Maghazi camp in the central part of the enclave, killing six people, including a local journalist. Five Palestinians were killed in southern Gaza, medics said.
The Israeli armed forces said their operations in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, and in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Palestinian territory, had intensified over the past 24 hours, destroying a number of defensive structures and missiles were detected. 50 Hamas fighters were killed in the Rafah area.
The phone call between Biden and Netanyahu late last night came after an emergency trip to the region by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, which ended on Tuesday without a breakthrough in talks to end the 10-month-old war, notes "Reuters" .
"Hamas" wants an agreement to end the war in Gaza and allow the release of Israeli and foreign hostages in Gaza in exchange for the freedom of many Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. The Palestinian group blames Israel and the US for the failure to reach an agreement.
Netanyahu said that the war will end only after the movement "Hamas" be defeated, and that a ceasefire to allow hostage and prisoner exchanges would only be a temporary pause while the Palestinian militant group continues to pose a threat.