Israel presses ahead in battle against Hamas in southern Gaza

Israeli tanks on Monday sought to push further west in their battle against Hamas in and around Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip's main city, as U.N. officials reiterated calls for a ceasefire to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.

The fighting in Khan Younis comes as Israel refocuses its more than two month war effort to the south after pounding northern Gaza and driving the majority of the Palestinian enclave's 2.3 million people from their homes.

The fighting began on Oct. 7 when Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. In response, Israel has vowed to annihilate the militant Islamist group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.

According to Hamas health authorities, around 18,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks, with 49,500 injured. About 100 of the Israeli hostages were freed during a week-long truce that ended on Dec. 1.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement that dozens of Hamas fighters had surrendered. Hamas rebutted the claim and said it had destroyed 180 Israeli military vehicles. It did not provide evidence, however.

Meanwhile, hospitals in Gaza were at maximum capacity with dead and injured Palestinians, according to the main Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.

While the world's attention has been riveted on the military action in the Gaza Strip, worries of the war spreading were further fed by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is backed by Iran.

Syria's army also reported it had shot down Israeli missiles fired towards the capital Damascus from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sunday evening.

Others missiles not intercepted caused some damage, the army said in a statement. The Israeli army declined to comment.

Ayman Safadi, the foreign minister of Jordan, accused Israel of "a systematic effort to empty Gaza of its people" and pushing them to leave the territory.

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy called the accusation "outrageous and false," saying his country was defending itself "from the monsters who perpetrated the Oct. 7 massacre" and bring them to justice.