Israel PM says army 'deepening' assault on Gaza City

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the army was "deepening" its assault in and around Gaza City, as it seeks to step up pressure on the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israeli air strikes this week have flattened two high-rises in Gaza City as troops intensified their operations in the area, aiming to conquer the Palestinian territory's largest urban centre.

"We are deepening the manoeuvre on the outskirts of Gaza City and within Gaza City itself," Netanyuahu told ministers at the start of a cabinet meeting, according to a video shared by his office.

Israel has not publicly announced the start of a major offensive to seize Gaza City, which Netanyahu's cabinet approved last month, but troops have intensified bombings and operations in the area for weeks.

"We are destroying terrorist infrastructure, we are demolishing identified terror towers," Netanyahu said.

The Israeli military has claimed that the two high-rises flattened in recent strikes were used by Hamas to "monitor" Israeli troops - an accusation deniedby the Palestinian group.

The escalation has fuelled fears of a further deterioration in already dire humanitarian conditions for Palestinians living in the area.

Netanyahu said that Israel had "established another humanitarian zone to allow the civilian population in Gaza to move to a safe area".

On Saturday, Israeli aircraft dropped thousands of leaflets over western neighbourhoods of Gaza City urging residents to evacuate, witnesses and an AFP journalist said.

Netanyahu said around 100,000 residents had already left Gaza City, accusing Hamas of trying to prevent evacuations and of using civilians as "human shields".

Mustafa Al-Jamal, who lives in Gaza city, told AFP on Saturday that he did not plan to leave.

He said the area in southern Gaza residents were told to evacuate to has been repeatedly bombed despite being declared "a safe zone".

"Where can we go? We have no money, no tent, no house, no food."

Israeli protesters took to the streets on Saturday to call on their government to reverse the decision to conquer Gaza City, fearing for the fate of hostages believed to be held there.

"I am mortified by the fact that the Israeli army is conquering Gaza right now, for the hostages, for the soldiers, for the people in Gaza - this is a political war," said Edith, a protester in Jerusalem who declined to give her full name.