Israel kills dozens as it steps up Gaza bombardment

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli forces pounded several areas across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing at least 39 Palestinians, according to health officials, as tanks advanced deeper into western and northern Rafah.

Among those killed on Saturday were local journalist Mohammad Abu Jasser, his wife and two children in an Israeli strike on their home in the northern Gaza Strip, a medic said.

Gaza's Hamas-run government media office said Abu Jasser's death raised to 161 the number of Palestinian media personnel killed by Israeli fire since Oct 7.

Just before midnight, an Israeli air strike on an encampment housing displaced Palestinian families killed at least 10 people, medics and Hamas media said.

In Al-Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, an Israeli air strike on a house on Saturday killed three people and wounded eight others, medics said.

Earlier in the day an Israeli missile struck a multi-floor building in the camp, and wounded several people, including two local journalists, rescue workers said.

In Rafah, where Israel said it aimed to dismantle the last battalions of Hamas' armed wing, residents said tanks advanced deeper into northern areas of the city and took control of a hilltop in the west, amid fierce gun battles with Hamas-led fighters.

The army said troops continued operations in Rafah, eliminating many gunmen over the past day in the area of Tel Al-Sultan on the western side of the city. In central Gaza, the military said it conducted raids on militants' infrastructure.

The military also said it hit a structure used by Palestinian militants in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip, saying gunmen were operating from a humanitarian area, and accused Gaza militants of exploiting civilian structures and population for military purposes, an allegation Hamas and other groups reject as false to justify such attacks.

A ceasefire effort led by Qatar and Egypt and backed by the United States has so far failed due to disputes between the combatants, who blame each other for the impasse.

Israel vowed to eradicate Hamas after its fighters killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage in an Oct. 7 attack, according to Israeli tallies. At least 38,919 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's retaliatory offensive since then, Gaza health authorities say.

On Tuesday, Israel said it had eliminated half the leadership of Hamas' military wing and killed or captured about 14,000 fighters since the start of the war.

Israel says 326 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza.

Hamas does not release casualty figures and said Israel exaggerates its reports to give the impression of a "fake victory".

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Additional reporting by Emily Rose in Jerusalem; Editing by Giles Elgood and Daniel Wallis)