For the second time in as many days, the Israeli military raided the central Gaza Strip, near Gaza City, overnight Friday, ahead of an expected full ground invasion of the territory.
According to the IDF, targeted raids were intended to prepare the battlefield.
A small group of tanks entered Gaza overnight Thursday as part of preparations for the next stages of combat, the IDF added.
Following a surprise attack by Hamas militants that killed over 1,400 Israelis at the start of the war, Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has entered its third week. According to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli strikes have killed over 7,000 Palestinians, including over 2,900 children.
The strikes, which have primarily targeted the northern half of the Gaza Strip, have destroyed entire neighborhoods. Over a million people have been displaced, resulting in a regional humanitarian crisis.
Humanitarian aid continued its slow flow into Gaza early Friday as the territory struggles with dwindling water, food, fuel and medical supply reserves.
Violence expanded to the West Bank overnight Friday, with four people killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The dead included a Hamas commander, the IDF claimed.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, three Palestinians were killed in a firefight at a refugee camp in the West Bank on Friday, and another man was shot by Israeli forces later that day.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, which represents current and former prisoners, over 70 Palestinians were arrested following the fighting.
Since the beginning of the war, Israeli authorities have reportedly arrested over 1,530 Palestinians in the West Bank.
The conflict has fueled fears of a wider Middle Eastern conflict. In a speech to the United Nations on Thursday, Iran’s foreign minister warned the US to stay out of the war.
