Israeli troops fight Hamas in north Gaza, hospitals in firing line

Israeli forces fought Hamas militants through shell-blasted buildings in the north of the Gaza Strip on Thursday and both sides claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on their foes as the battle over the Palestinian territory intensified.

The United Nations human rights chief called for a ceasefire and said both sides had committed war crimes in the month of fighting over the enclave.

In Paris, officials from about 80 countries and organisations were meeting to coordinate humanitarian aid to Gaza and find ways to help wounded civilians escape the siege.

Residents in Gaza City - a militant stronghold in the north of the Hamas-ruled territory - said Israeli tanks were stationed around the city. Israeli forces were moving closer to two hospitals where thousands of displaced Palestinians were seeking shelter, they said.

Israel unleashed its assault on Gaza in response to a cross-border Hamas raid on southern Israel on October 7 in which gunmen killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. It was the single worst day of bloodshed in Israel's 75-year history.

Palestinian officials said 10,569 Gaza residents had been killed as of Wednesday, about 40 per cent of them children, while a humanitarian crisis has gripped the enclave, with basic supplies running out and buildings demolished by unrelenting Israeli bombardments.

Israel, which has vowed to wipe out Hamas, says 33 of its soldiers have been killed in its ground operation.

The Israeli military said its troops had advanced into the heart of Gaza City. Hamas said its fighters had inflicted heavy losses in intense street battles.