On the 18th local time, the Israel Defense Forces continued to carry out military operations in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip and launched attacks on many places in the Gaza Strip. Al-Qassam Brigades, an armed wing affiliated to the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), issued a statement on the 18th saying that Gaza City will not become an "easy prey" for the Israeli army.
Residents of Gaza City, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, said on Tuesday that Israeli Defense Forces tanks appeared in two areas leading to the city center, while internet and telephone communication had been cut off by the Israeli military. Local residents said the Israeli military had been bombing several areas of Gaza City in recent days and advancing to the central and western parts of Gaza City. Medical staff at Gaza City Hospital in Shifa said they had received bodies of at least 33 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes that day.
Al-Qassam Brigades, an armed faction affiliated to the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), issued a statement on the 18th saying that if Israel continues to expand its military operations, it will not be able to obtain any Israeli detainees. Gaza City will become the "grave" of Israeli soldiers. Al-Qassam Brigades is not afraid. A large number of armed personnel have organized to prepare to fight the Israeli army. Israel is falling into a "costly war of attrition." Al-Qassam Brigades also warned that Israeli detainees are currently distributed in various residential areas in Gaza City. If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decides to kill them, Al-Qassam Brigades will no longer take their lives into account.