Fighting in Gaza raged for a 24th day on Monday since Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on 7 October, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

The Israeli military said its forces killed "dozens" of militants in overnight clashes inside Gaza, as it stepped up what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a "new stage" in the war, which he warned would be "long and difficult."

Hamas said its fighters were engaged in "heavy fighting" with Israeli forces in northern Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces said its troops "killed dozens of terrorists who had barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels and attempted to attack the soldiers," and that a fighter jet had targeted a building "with over 20 Hamas operatives inside."

Syria, Lebanon strikes

The IDF said Monday it also hit military infrastructure inside Syria in response to rockets launched from there, as fears grow over a regional fallout from the Gaza war.

This followed further escalations along the Israel-Lebanon border, with Iran-backed Hezbollah claiming it had downed an Israeli drone and saying that Israel had killed one of its fighters.

Hezbollah militants in Lebanon said they had launched rockets at Israel, with Israel saying it had returned fire and staged retaliatory air strikes.

Meanwhile, another 33 trucks carrying water, food and medical supplies entered Gaza on Sunday through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the United Nations humanitarian organization OCHA said.

"This was the largest delivery of humanitarian aid since 21 October, when limited deliveries resumed," it said, stressing that much more was needed.

It called in particular for deliveries of fuel — which have been completely blocked — to operate medical equipment and water and sanitation facilities.

So far, a total of 117 trucks have entered Gaza since limited deliveries resumed to the impoverished Palestinian territory, which is facing a near-total siege. Before the war, an average of 500 trucks a day would enter, UN figures showed.  

 with AFP