Gaza | Cairo | Israeli tanks battled their way to the heart of Khan Younis on Sunday (Monday AEDT) in a new push into the main city of the southern Gaza Strip, as health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza said about 18,000 Palestinians had been killed in the war.

Israeli leaders said dozens of Hamas fighters had surrendered, encouraging more of them to do so, but the Palestinian militant group denied this, calling the claim “false and baseless”. Israel indicated it was prepared to fight for months or longer to defeat Hamas rulers, and a key mediator said willingness to discuss a ceasefire was fading.

Reuters