Israeli tanks roll into southern outskirts of Gaza City, clash with Hamas militants

GAZA/JERUSALEM, Oct 31: Israeli tanks rolled into the southern outskirts of Gaza City on Monday, clashing with Hamas fighters who tried to stop their advance, Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said.

The sources said dozens of Israeli army vehicles crossed from the eastern parts of the Gaza Strip and reached the main Salah al-Din road, cutting off Gaza City from the central part of the territory.

The sources said explosions were heard as the Israeli forces and Palestinian militants exchanged fire near the incursion area.

Israeli airstrikes also intensified overnight, hitting dozens of targets across the coastal enclave and killing scores of Palestinians, according to Palestinian medical and security sources.

Avichai Adraee, an Israeli army spokesman, said the Israeli troops were expanding their ground operations in Gaza. He said the soldiers killed dozens of Palestinian militants who hid in buildings and tunnels and tried to attack the Israeli forces.

About 600 targets were struck in the past 24 hours, including weapons depots, Hamas hideouts and anti-tank missile launch sites, the Israeli spokesman added.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run government media office denied that there was any Israeli ground invasion into residential neighbourhoods in Gaza.

Salama Maarouf, the head of the media office, said in a statement that a few Israeli tanks and a bulldozer entered an open agricultural area in Juhr al-Dik and fired at two civilian cars on Salah al-Din road before being forced to retreat by the resistance.

He said that "there is no presence of occupation army's vehicles on Salah al-Din Street, and citizen movement has returned to normal."

The Hamas official also accused Israel of trying to create a false impression of its soldiers' presence in areas inside the Gaza Strip.