Gaza city

Israel succeeded in encircling Gaza City on Thursday after several days of intensive operations on the ground, according to Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari in the newspaper Haaretz. He added that soldiers were “attacking Hamas outposts, headquarters, firing positions and infrastructure” and that fighting was continuing “man-to-man”. The announcement has not been independently confirmed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier on Thursday that Israeli forces had fought their way further into Gaza City. “We are at the height of the battles. We have had impressive successes and passed the outskirts of Gaza City. We are moving forward,” he said in a statement shared on social media. “We are making progress. Nothing can stop us. We are moving forward. We want to move forward and win,” he said. In a televised statement, Israeli Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said: “Our forces are now at the core of the ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip.” But the Israeli military is facing challenges with sudden attacks from tunnels, Reuters news agency reported. According to videos and statements from citizens, militants from Hamas and the allied group Islamic Jihad emerge from tunnels and shortly thereafter disappear back into the tunnel network under Gaza. /ritzau/