Fierce street-by-street combat rages in Gaza

Israel said dozens of militants have been killed in the past day, while the overall death toll for its troops in the ground offensive has risen to 34

- 

Israeli troops and Hamas were locked in heavy, close quarters fighting in Gaza City on Thursday, including a 10-hour battle that Israel said toppled one of the Palestinian militants' "strongholds".

Hamas fighters armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles were clashing with Israeli soldiers backed by armoured vehicles in the ruins of the besieged territory's north.

Israeli flags were flying over buildings at beach resorts in northern Gaza and there was little sign of any human presence amid the destruction as hundreds of thousands have fled a dire humanitarian situation. The utter devastation is the result of over a month of war sparked by the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

On that day, gunmen from the Islamist group poured over the Gaza border with Israel and, according to Israeli officials, killed 1,400 people and seized about 240 hostages in the worst attack in the country's history.