Israeli forces say they've reached Hamas defense lines in southern Gaza.
The fighting, which has been described as the fiercest so far, is now centered on the city of Khan Younis, the largest city in the south.
Israeli troops and Hamas militants are engaging in door-to-door gun battles. Israel Defense Forces posted a photo of the top Hamas commanders that they say have been killed so far. The Israeli military is continuing its pursuit of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the presumed mastermind behind the unprecedented attack that ignited the war.
Fighting is also continuing in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The IDF announced that troops have moved deeper into the Jabalia refugee camp. They've reportedly destroyed a number of tunnel entrances and also found a large cache of weapons.
Thursday marks exactly two months since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, when the terrorist group slaughtered 1,400 people and took 240 hostages captive into Gaza.
In Israel's retaliation, the war has exacted an enormous and growing civilian toll, with more than 16,000 Palestinians now killed.
"The humanitarian situation on the ground is just worsening hour by hour. In Gaza, there is no medical services left. What is existing in Gaza is only death. People are lacking everything, people are trapped in their homes," Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Scripps News.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is invoking Article 99 of the U.N. Charter, which gives him the ability to force a meeting of the U.N. Security Council. He said he is taking this step — which he's never himself done before — because of the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Guterres is calling on the Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Eli Cohen, is slamming Guterres for invoking such a rare and powerful tool. While Guterres is calling the situation in Gaza a global threat, Cohen is calling Guterres a threat to global peace.
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