Israeli army launches ground assault in Gaza, targets UNRWA yet again

The Israeli army has announced that it launched a ground assault in Gaza against targets including the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), claiming it housed weapons and investigation and detention rooms.

The Israeli army claimed in a statement on Monday that the operation is based on intelligence that indicates the presence of "Hamas and Islamic Jihad infrastructure, and operatives in Gaza."

Referring to the attack on UNRWA headquarters, the Israeli army alleged that the building housed weapons, investigation and detention rooms of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The army said it had previously conducted "operations" in the area "to eliminate Hamas operatives and destroy an underground tunnel route beneath the compound."

During the recent offensive, the Israeli army reportedly used loudspeakers to warn civilians to leave the building, promising a safe passage for noncombatants.

When the ground offensive began, the army statement said it warned civilians about military actions in the area, claiming that a route would be opened to allow uninvolved civilians to be evacuated.

UNRWA has yet to respond to the Israeli military attack on its headquarters.

Several Palestinians killed

On Saturday, the Israeli military claimed that it targeted Palestinian fighters inside the Jaouni school in Nuseirat, and alleged that Hamas fighters were using as a command centre. This attack reportedly killed 16 Palestinians and injured 50 more.

Earlier in the day, thousands of Palestinians fled large areas of southwest Gaza City when Israeli forces unexpectedly intruded for the first time in over three months and opened heavy fire targeting roads, homes, and residential buildings, resulting in dozens of casualties.

An Anadolu correspondent reported that Israeli military vehicles entered the Tal al Hawa neighbourhood, the industrial area, the university zones, and the southern outskirts of the Rimal under heavy fire from fighter jets and artillery.

Witnesses told Anadolu on Monday that Israeli aircraft and artillery carried out intense strikes on southwestern Gaza City, with continuous gunfire from helicopters.

They also said that all health facilities in Gaza have been rendered out of service as Israeli forces raid hospitals in northern Gaza.

Separately, Israeli gunboats fired heavy machine guns at fishermen's port in western Gaza City, the witnesses reported.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.