Gaza [Palestine], September 19: Israeli tanks advanced along two gateways to the centre of Gaza City while internet and phone lines were cut off for several hours, signaling a potential escalation in ground operations in the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli forces control Gaza City's eastern suburbs and in recent days have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas, from where they would be positioned to advance on central and western areas where most of the population is sheltering.
"We are scared, but what can we do?" said Bassam Al-Qanou, a displaced man sheltering with around 30 family members in one of countless ragged improvised tent camps along the city's beach.
He said the family had no way to get out, and nowhere to go.
At least 85 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, most in Gaza City, according to the territory's health ministry.
The Israeli military said four of its personnel had been killed during combat in southern Gaza.
A total of 48 hostages remain in Gaza since their capture in a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israeli officials say around 20 are still alive.
In separate developments, Israel attacked Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon, while two Israelis were killed at Allenby Crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan, in what the Israeli military called a terror attack.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
