The Israeli army is the only force known to operate tanks in the Gaza Strip.There were heavy clashes in Khan Yunis overnight, including mortar rounds fired by militants at Israeli tanks, the armed wings of militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad said.Rockets were also fired into southern Israel, they said, and there was fighting in several neighbourhoods of Gaza City and further north.The Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, where aid is inspected and sent into Gaza, was blocked Sunday by protesters including the families of hostages, said COGAT, the Israeli agency in charge of civilian affairs in the Palestinian territory.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing growing domestic pressure over his handling of the conflict, doubled down on his vow to eliminate Hamas from besieged Gaza.”If we don’t eliminate Hamas terrorists… the next massacre is only a matter of time,” he said in a televised statement on Saturday.Experts have told AFP Netanyahu’s target of eliminating Hamas is increasingly seen within his war cabinet as incompatible with returning the hostages held in Gaza.Ceasefire soughtThe UNRWA row follows the UN’s International Court of Justice ruling on Friday that Israel must prevent possible acts of genocide in the conflict, and allow in more aid, although it stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.Diplomatic efforts to find a solution have also gathered pace.CIA chief William Burns is to meet his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts, as well as Qatar’s prime minister, in Paris soon to seek a ceasefire, a security source told AFP.
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