Israel stepped up its attacks in southern Gaza overnight, residents said, with Israeli tanks and planes stepping up their shelling of Khan Younis.

Witnesses also reported rockets being fired at the town of Rafah in the south and shelling around the Jambaliya refugee camp in the north, while fighting was also reported around the central areas of Maghazi and Bureij.

Al Jazeera reported that 15 people were killed in an Israeli attack in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

The attacks come after Israel said it would begin withdrawing some troops from Gaza but was preparing for an intense campaign to continue there for “at least six months.”

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces reported killing four suspected Palestinian militants during a raid in the occupied West Bank town of Azzun, the IDF said.

The alleged militants were killed during an exchange of fire in which an Israeli soldier was also wounded, the IDF said on Twitter. The military released photos of three submachine guns it said were subsequently seized.

Israeli air raid in suburbs of Damascus

At the same time, Israel launched an air strike against positions in the suburbs of Damascus early on Tuesday, according to the Syrian Ministry of Defense.

The raid came from the direction of the Golan Heights targeting positions on the outskirts of Damascus. The attack caused material damage, as reported by the Syrian state news agency (SANA).

There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials.

Since the October 7 attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israeli civilians and soldiers, Israel has escalated its attacks on Iranian-backed militia targets in Syria and has also hit Syrian army air defenses and some Syrian forces.