Israeli troops are operating and surrounding Gaza in some ways

Israeli Defence Forces Chief of Staff (IDF) has said troops are operating within the city of Gaza and are surrounding it from several directions.

In a statement from an air force base reported by the Times of Israel, General Herzegovina Halev said: “We have advanced another important phase in the war. Forces are at the heart of northern Gaza, operating in the city of Gaza, surrounding it and deepening [earthly] offensive and achievements”.

Israeli forces “are fighting in a dense and complex urban area, requiring professional combat and courage”, he said, The Guardian, broadcast the Express newspaper.

He added that his forces are fighting a nearby “against a cruel enemy” and that ground forces are accompanied by “precise intelligence, with fire from the air and sea”, adding: “This partnership makes the war very effective”.