JERUSALEM, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that it had bombed another high-rise building in Gaza City.
Israel's state-owned Kan TV identified the building as Al-Rouya, a multi-story residential building located in the southwestern part of Gaza City. Video footage shared on social media showed huge clouds of debris as the building was blasted.
In a statement, the Israeli military said Hamas militants used the building to plant intelligence-gathering devices and set up observation posts to monitor the location of IDF troops in the area.
The military had previously issued evacuation orders for the building and urged residents of famine-stricken Gaza City to flee south ahead of another escalation in the offensive. Nearly one million people are seeking shelter in the city, with most of them having been displaced multiple times.
Speaking during his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the onslaught. "We are deepening the maneuver on the outskirts of Gaza City and inside Gaza City," he said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Nahal Brigade carried out intensive bombing on the Zeitoun neighborhood in the eastern part of Gaza City. An Israeli military spokesperson said they aimed to dismantle a tunnel spanning hundreds of meters. According to the spokesperson, inside the tunnel, troops found an operations room used by Hamas' Zeitoun Battalion to coordinate attacks against Israeli soldiers.
Video footage released by the Israeli army showed a massive blast along the tunnel route, with plumes of debris rising above.
Israel began a new offensive on Gaza City several days ago, with senior officials stating that the troops will "conquer" the city.
In the past 24 hours, Israeli strikes killed at least 87 people and injured 409 others, bringing the total death toll since Oct. 7, 2023, to 64,368 people, with 162,776 injuries, according to Gaza's health authorities. ■
