Hamas Leader Says Israeli Attacks on Gaza Could Endanger Ceasefire Talks

Israeli Tanks in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - The leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas said a new Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip on Monday threatened truce talks at a crucial time, as Israeli tanks rolled into the heart of Gaza City and ordered residents to leave after heavy bombardment overnight.

The militant group said the new attacks appeared intended to derail the talks and called on mediators to rein in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Residents said the airstrikes and artillery barrages were among the heaviest in nine months of conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the enclave. Thousands of people have been displaced.

Residents said neighborhoods in Gaza City were bombed overnight and into the early hours of Monday. Several high-rise buildings were destroyed, they said.

Gaza's Civil Emergency Service said it believed dozens of people had been killed, but emergency teams were unable to reach them because of the ongoing attacks.

The attack "could return the negotiation process to square one. Netanyahu and his army will bear full responsibility for the collapse of this strip," Hamas quoted leader Ismail Haniyeh as saying, according to Reuters on July 9.

The attack came as senior U.S. officials were in the region to push for a ceasefire after Hamas made major concessions last week.

Gaza City, in the north of the Palestinian enclave, was one of Israel's first targets at the start of the war in October. But clashes with militants there have continued and civilians have sought shelter elsewhere, adding to the wave of displacement. Much of the city has been destroyed.

Gazans said tanks advanced from at least three directions on Monday and reached the heart of Gaza City, backed by heavy Israeli fire from the air and ground.

That forced thousands of people from their homes to seek safer shelter, which for many was impossible to find, and some slept on the side of the road.

One tank attack pushed people toward a western road near the Mediterranean, residents said.

"The enemy is behind us and the sea is in front of us, where are we going to go?" said Abdel-Ghani, a Gaza City resident who did not give his full name.

"Tank shells and missiles from planes fell on the streets and houses like a volcano. People were running in all directions, and no one knew where to go," he continued.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Hamas fighters and their Islamic Jihad allies were hiding behind civilian infrastructure to attack Israeli forces. Israel said it had neutralized more than 30 fighters.

It is known that the latest war in Gaza was triggered by an attack by a Palestinian militant group led by Hamas attacking southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and causing 250 others to be taken hostage, according to Israeli calculations.

Yesterday, Gaza health authorities confirmed that the death toll from the Israeli attack on October 7 had reached 38,193 people, and 87,903 others were injured, quoted from WAFA.

The authorities added that the majority of the victims were women and children. Meanwhile, ambulances and rescue teams have still not been able to reach many victims and bodies trapped under rubble or scattered on the streets in the Palestinian enclave.