Israeli ground forces are advancing into the southern part of the Gaza Stripwhile the campaign to eliminate the Palestinian organization in the northern part of the enclave continues, said Jonathan Conricus a representative of the Israeli army underlining that the army does not seek to coerce the Palestinians to flee to Egypt while acknowledging the “difficult” situation.

Dozens of Israeli tanks, personnel carriers and excavators enter southern Gaza Strip, at the height of Khan Younis, eyewitnesses told AFP today. Amin Abu Hola, 59, said Israeli military vehicles had now entered “two kilometers deep” in the southern Gaza Strip, in the village of al-Karara, northeast of Khan Yunis.

“Tanks are now on Salahuddin Road”which stretches from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip, 34-year-old Moaz Mohammed noted for his part.

“We have not completely defeated Hamas militarily”

“We haven’t completely defeated them militarily in the north, but we’ve made good progress”stated Jonathan Conricus on CNN.

“We have stated from the beginning to the Israeli civilians and to anyone listening in the world that (the fight against Hamas) will unfortunately take time”pointed out.

“It is a difficult operation in a difficult field where we are fighting against a very dedicated military that is not interested in sacrificing civilians (in order to achieve) its military objective.”Cornikus complained.

The spokesman for the Israeli armed forces he denied the charges aid organizations that the army it did not give to the hundreds of thousands of civilians who have taken refuge in the southern part of the blockaded Gaza Strip enough time to move to a safe place to escape the escalating attacks.

Everything is being done to protect civilians, he stressed. “If Hamas moved outside the urban areas and fought us there, then of course the civilian population would not be affected. But Hamas has not done that.” Conricus said, once again accusing the Palestinian Authority of using civilians as human shields.

At the same time, Jonathan Conricus argued that “we’re not looking to turn people away down there».

“Egypt has been absolutely clear on the matter: it does not want it”, he added. “We are not seeking to displace the population permanently”, underlined.

“We asked civilians to move away from the battlefield and designated a specific humanitarian zone inside the Gaza Strip”he explained, referring to the al-Mawashi coastal area.

“We know very well that space and access are limited and that is why it is critical to get the support of international humanitarian organizations to help build infrastructure in the al-Mawasi area,” added the spokesman for the Israeli armed forces.

THE Unicef ​​representative James Elder has strongly criticized Israel for its attacks, speaking of “blood bath” in southern Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have taken refuge at the urging of the Israeli forces, in order to escape the conflicts in the north.

Elder, also speaking on CNN, added that “safe zones” announced by the Israeli military for Palestinian civilians “is a false narrative and it’s a dangerous narrative. People have no means of transportation. They don’t know where they should go. These are areas in the desert. They have no water, no food, no protection in these places.”

IDF: Hit 200 Hamas targets

Israeli forces hit around 200 Hamas targets in Gaza overnightas ground forces continue to operate in the Strip.

In his statement, IDF claims Negev Brigade destroyed Hamas ‘infrastructure’ inside a school in Beit Hanoun, northern Gazawhich was used by Hamas forces to attack troops.

Inside the school complex, the soldiers found two tunnel entrancesincluding one rigged with explosives and other weapons.

Ground forces also directed airstrikes during the nightincluding against cars carrying rockets and mortars for Hamas operatives, an anti-tank missile launch site, a group of Hamas operatives and a nearby weapons depot.

The Israeli Navy also carried out raids during the nighttargeting Hamas observation posts and other infrastructure along the Gaza coast, according to the military.

Furthermore, three Israeli soldiers were injured by mortar shells fired from Israel’s northern border with Lebanon overnightaccording to the IDF.

“During the night, several mortar rounds were detected from Lebanon towards positions of Israeli forces in the area of ​​Shtula. As a result, three IDF soldiers were slightly injured and withdrawn to receive medical treatment.”