Israel ordered residents out of the centre of Gaza's main southern city Khan Younis and pounded the length of the enclave overnight, after the United States wielded its U.N. Security Council veto to shield its ally from a demand for a ceasefire.
Since a truce with Hamas in the two-month-old war collapsed on Dec. 1, Israel has expanded its ground assault into the southern half of the Gaza Strip, pushing into Khan Younis, where residents reported fierce battles. Both sides reported a surge in fighting in the north.
Israel said its campaign was making progress. National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said Israeli forces had killed at least 7,000 Hamas militants, without saying how that estimate was reached, and military chief Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi told soldiers "we need to press harder".
An official toll of deaths in Gaza from the Palestinian health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave exceeded 17,700 on Saturday, with many thousands missing and presumed dead under the rubble. The ministry has said about 40% of deaths were of children under 18.
Israel launched its campaign to annihilate Gaza's Hamas rulers after their fighters burst into Israeli towns on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Some 137 hostages remain in captivity, and thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand their release. A soldier who fought on Oct. 7 died from his wounds, the Israeli army said early on Sunday, adding four other soldiers died fighting in southern Gaza.
Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been forced from their homes, often several times. As fighting rages across the territory, residents and U.N. agencies say there is effectively nowhere safe to go, though Israel disputes this.
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