A week after it sent ground forces into Gaza, Israel said its military had surrounded Gaza City in the north of the territory, killed 10 Hamas commanders who helped plan the October 7 attacks on Israel, and scored “impressive successes” according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli forces appeared to be in the process of cutting the Gaza Strip in two, south of Gaza City. By Friday, they had advanced about 15km (9.3 miles) from the Gaza-Israel border along the coastal road, adjacent to the Turkey-Palestine Friendship Hospital, well south of Gaza City. The hospital is Gaza’s only cancer treatment facility and has been forced shut down because of fuel shortages resulting from Israel’s siege on the enclave.
