More than 100 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the attack began, according to the army

Israeli tanks arrived in the center of Khan Yunis, the main town in the southern Gaza Strip, which became the scene of the fiercest clashes, Reuters news agency reported, citing eyewitnesses. According to residents, the armored vehicles reached the main artery between the north and south of the city after fierce fighting during the night, which slowed their advance from the eastern neighborhoods, and Israeli aircraft bombed the sector west of the tank penetration.

“It was one of the most painful nights. The resistance was very strong. We could hear the sounds of shots and explosions that did not stop for hours.”A father who requested that his name not be published told Reuters that he arrived in Khan Yunis after fleeing from Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip. The tanks arrived at Gamal Abdel Nasser Street in the city center. Snipers took up positions on the rooftops of buildings in the neighborhood. »

The vast majority of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents have been forced to flee since the start of the Israeli response to the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7. Some have been moved multiple times. According to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, allied with Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, members of the movement are fighting Israeli forces in the area. The Israeli army said it bombed the tunnel access corridors in Khan Yunis and attacked a commando group of armed Palestinians who were preparing an ambush. It did not mention the progress made by its tanks.

Both camps also reported heavy fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army said last month it had accomplished most of its mission. Explosions were heard at dawn in this area, and columns of smoke were seen coming from Israeli territory.