Israeli forces battled Hamas militants in Gaza’s main southern city on Wednesday, as the UN warned a complete breakdown in public order was imminent after nearly two months of war sparked by deadly attacks on Israel.

Israeli troops, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and bulldozers have rolled into Khan Yunis, Gaza’s second-largest city, forcing already displaced civilians to flee again, witnesses said.

Sources in Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian militant group, told AFP their fighters were battling to control entry into the city.

But the Israeli army said it had pierced defensive lines and carried out “targeted raids in the heart of the city”, where they found and destroyed 30 tunnel shafts.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that Israeli forces were closing in on the home of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, with a spokesman saying it is “underground” in the Khan Yunis area.

“We are devastated, mentally overwhelmed,” said Khan Yunis resident Amal Mahdi, who survived an overnight Israeli strike. “We need someone to find us a solution so we can get out of this situation.”বিস্তারিত