Israeli forces tightened their hold on the outskirts of the city of Gaza on Tuesday as United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon pressed for a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants.
In clashes on the edges of the city, Israeli forces killed 12 gunmen, some of them Hamas members, medical workers said.
“We are tightening the encirclement of the city,” Brigadier General Eyal Eisenberg told reporters touring Israeli positions.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban was heading to the region for a week of talks with leaders in Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Syria aimed at ending the bloodshed.
“My message is simple, direct, and to the point: the fighting must stop. To both sides, I say: Just stop now,” Ban told reporters before his departure.
Hamas said its forces detonated explosives beneath Israeli armor and fought with Israeli forces backed by helicopter gunships and naval fire in what seemed the most ferocious fighting since Israel sent in ground troops 10 days ago.
Israel says it attacked more than 60 targets overnight in Gaza as its offensive against Hamas entered its 18th day.
The air assault came as Israeli troops advanced in the southern and eastern suburbs of Gaza City.
The Israeli military also announced another three-hour ceasefire, starting at 0900 local time (0700 GMT), to allow aid lorries into Gaza.
The truce coincides with visits by UN and Red Cross officials to Gaza.
On Tuesday, the western areas of Gaza City also came under shellfire from Israeli gunboats.
The Israeli military has denied a Hamas claim that it had destroyed two Israeli tanks.
The BBC’s Aleem Maqbool, on the Israeli-Gaza border, said Israeli shelling had continued despite the three-hour humanitarian ceasefire.
The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has implored Israel and Palestinian militants to halt the fighting in Gaza immediately.
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