Israeli tanks break through to Khan Younis city during offensive in Gaza Strip's south

Israeli tanks have fought their way into the centre of Khan Younis in a new large-scale offensive on the main city of the southern part of Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Source: Reuters

Details: Israeli leaders said dozens of Hamas fighters had surrendered, encouraging others to do so, but the Palestinian militant group denied it, calling the claim "false and baseless."

Residents of Khan Younis reported that tanks had entered the main road running from north to south through the city after intense overnight fighting that slowed the Israeli advance from the east. Warplanes struck the area to the west of the assault site.

The air rumbled with constant explosions, and thick columns of white smoke rose over the densely populated city, filled with people displaced from other parts of the enclave.

UN Secretary General António Guterres, who has been unsuccessfully seeking a ceasefire in Gaza, said the enclave was in a state of collapse.

"I expect public order to completely break down soon and an even worse situation could unfold, including epidemic diseases and increased pressure for mass displacement into Egypt," he said.

At the opposite end of the Gaza Strip, in the northern areas where Israel previously said its forces had largely completed their tasks, residents also described some of the most intense fighting of the war.

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