Israeli tanks advanced along two gateways to the center of Gaza City on Thursday, while internet and phone lines were cut off for several hours, signaling a potential escalation in ground operations.

Israeli forces control Gaza City's eastern suburbs and in recent days have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas. From there, they are positioned to advance on central and western districts, where most of the population is sheltering.

In separate developments, Israel struck Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon, while two Israelis were killed at the Allenby Crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan, in what the Israeli military called a terror attack.

Towards inner city

Israeli army spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said Israeli forces had been operating on the periphery of Gaza City for several weeks, but since Monday night into Tuesday, large numbers of troops have begun moving towards the inner city.

The Palestinian Telecommunications Company said in a statement that its services were cut off "due to the ongoing aggression and the targeting of the main network routes." By nightfall, it said it had reactivated fixed internet and landline services. Several Palestinians reported that internet and phone services had begun returning in Gaza City.

"The disconnection of internet and phone services is a bad omen. It has always been a bad signal something very brutal is going to happen," said Ismail, who only gave one name.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled Gaza City since Israel announced on August 10 that it intended to take control. But many more remain, either in battered homes among the ruins or in makeshift tent encampments.

The military has been dropping leaflets urging residents to flee towards a designated "humanitarian zone" in the south of the territory, but aid agencies say conditions there are dire, with insufficient food, medicine, shelter and basic hygiene.

The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that critical shortages of blood in Gaza hospitals could see force services to grind to a halt within days.

Four more Palestinians, including a child, have died of malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said, raising the death toll from such causes to at least 435 people, including 147 children, since the war began.

Israel says the extent of hunger in Gaza has been exaggerated and blames Hamas for the continuation of the war, saying it could end it now if it surrendered, freed the hostages, disarmed and disbanded. Hamas says it won't disarm until a Palestinian state is established.

Strikes in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army carried out several airstrikes Thursday evening across southern Lebanon, targeting villages including Mays el Jabal, Dibbine, and Kfar Tebnit, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

The strikes came after Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned on X of attacks on Hezbollah infrastructure in response to its alleged attempts to rebuild activities in the region.

The Lebanese army condemned the attacks, noting that Israeli violations have exceeded 4,500 since the 2024 ceasefire agreement. It said the strikes targeted civilians, destroyed homes, and hindered Lebanese forces' deployment south of the Litani River.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticized Israel's actions, questioning its commitment to Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire. He called on the international community, particularly sponsors of the ceasefire, to pressure Israel to halt aggressions, withdraw from occupied territories, and release detainees.

A U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire has been in place between Hezbollah and Israel since Nov. 27, 2024, halting clashes that erupted during the Gaza war.

Despite the agreement, the Israeli army occasionally carries out strikes in Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah “threats,” while maintaining forces at five main positions along the Lebanese border.

(With input from agencies)