The Israeli military has vowed to continue its operation in Gaza, but admitted it is “protracted” and “difficult”.
A spokesman said over the weekend it was expanding its “ground operations in the southern and northern Gaza Strip”.
Meanwhile, the US said Joe Biden spoke to the Israeli PM and emphasised the “critical need” to protect civilians.
In response, Benjamin Netanyahu said the war would go on until all Israeli goals were achieved.
The IDF also announced that nine more of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in Gaza, bringing the total to 154.
Israel says 700 Palestinian militants have been arrested since it launched its military operation and invasion of Gaza with the aim of eliminating Hamas.
Hamas says mostly women and children are being killed by the Israelis.
Many Palestinians have been forced to flee northern Gaza to the territory’s south
In a separate development on Saturday, Netanyahu and Biden discussed in a phone call Israel’s operation in Gaza.
Biden “emphasised the critical need to protect the civilian population including those supporting the humanitarian aid operation, and the importance of allowing civilians to move safely away from areas of ongoing fighting”, the White House said.
Netanyahu “made it clear that Israel would continue the war until all of its goals have been achieved”, the Israeli PM’s office said.
Israel launched its retaliatory operation after Hamas fighters crossed from Gaza into southern Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.
More than 20,000 people have been killed and 53,000 injured in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Its update on Saturday said another 201 people had been killed and 368 others injured in the previous day alone.
The Israeli military has kept up its bombing campaign in Gaza – ordering civilians to flee.
On Saturday, it said one of its fighter jets had killed Hassah Atrash, a man it accused of smuggling weapons into Gaza to arm Hamas. There was no confirmation from Hamas.
The Israeli military has said it has almost full operational control of the north of the Gaza Strip, and is stepping up operations in the south.
The UN said the latest evacuation order affected 150,000 people in the middle of the territory.
(REUTERS)
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