Israeli military vehicles advanced into the western areas of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, on Friday, amid intense gunfire and artillery shelling of the area. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues its ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip.

Israeli tanks advanced into the Beit Lahia area, firing heavily and shelling the city, which had suffered extensive destruction during the ongoing war of extermination.

Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes bombed homes on Al-Sina'a Street in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City, according to witnesses.

Since resuming its war on Gaza last Tuesday, Israel has killed 591 people and injured 1,042 others, the majority of them women and children, as of Thursday evening, according to official figures from the government media office in Gaza.

The Israeli army announced on Thursday the launch of a ground operation in the city of Rafah, the expansion of its military activities in the southern Gaza Strip, and the destruction of infrastructure. It also announced that it had launched "ground operations in the Shaboura area of Rafah," in the far south of the Gaza Strip, adding that it was continuing its operations in the "northern and central Gaza Strip."

In a statement, Hamas called on the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in particular, to "take urgent action before international forums, especially the UN Security Council, and take immediate measures to halt the aggression and genocide against our Palestinian people."