Fighting raged across the besieged Gaza Strip Saturday with the health ministry reporting at least 165 people killed over the previous 24 hours -- more than double Friday’s figure.

An Agence France-Presse correspondent reported gunfire, air strikes and tank shelling, especially in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis city.

In Rafah, further south near the border with Egypt, at least five people were killed in a strike that “targeted a civilian car,” the health ministry said.

Israel is pressing its push southwards against Hamas terrorists after the army in early January said the militants’ command structure in northern Gaza had been dismantled, leaving only isolated fighters.

But Hamas reported fierce combat in north Gaza as Israel’s military said troops backed by air and naval support were striking Hamas infrastructure throughout the Palestinian territory.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented October attacks which resulted in the deaths of about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground offensive have killed at least 24,927 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas government’s health ministry.

The United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, has urged it to take more care to protect civilians, and the two sides have disagreed over Gaza’s future governance.