Around half of the buildings and almost 70 per cent of homes in Gaza City have been damaged or destroyed in the ongoing war with Israel, Times of Israel reported citing a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported that on Thursday, forces from its 749th Reserve Engineering Battalion destroyed buildings, including terrorist infrastructure that was used for Hamas activities, that were uncovered at "Al-Azhar" University in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City.
The Israel Defense Forces has expressed confidence in its ability to preserve its operational achievements in the northern Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, during a truce with Hamas, designed to facilitate a hostage release deal.
The Israel Defence Forces on Saturday denied that they demanded Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City to evacuate within an hour, adding that it only accepted the requests of the medical centre's director to make a safe route for those who wished to leave, The Times of Israel reported.
Hamas had lost control in the Gaza Strip as the Israel Defence Forces moved to fully capture Gaza City, the country's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said as the Israel-Hamas war entered day 39.
Hagari said that the Navy's elite Shayetet 13 commando unit and the 401st Armored Brigade have raided Gaza City's Rantisi Hospital, which treats children, and that Hamas operatives were hiding there.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday said that it has lost communication with Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, stressing that those who fled the hospital have been reportedly shot, wounded or killed.
According to the Israeli forces, Israeli warplanes hit a cell of about 10 Hamas members, directed by ground troops from the Nahal Brigade, who identified the cell and directed the aerial attack on the outpost.
The Israeli military has fully encircled Gaza City and is carrying out widespread air strikes on Hamas targets, said Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari on Sunday night.
The creator of the cult Israeli web series 'Fauda', Avi Issacharoff, weighed in on the air assault and ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza, saying that the ongoing operations are the repercussions of what the terror group did in southern Israel on October 7.