The Israeli military intensified operations around Gaza City on Wednesday as President Donald Trump prepared to host a White House meeting to discuss post-war plans for the devastated Palestinian territory.
Israel is under mounting pressure both at home and abroad to end its almost two-year genocidal war on Gaza, where the military is preparing to occupy the territory's largest city and the United Nations has declared a famine.
Mediators have circulated a draft cease-fire and hostage release deal, which has been accepted by Palestinian resistance group Hamas, whose October 2023 incursion triggered the war. But Israel has yet to give an official response.
On the ground, the Israeli military said its troops were "operating on the outskirts of Gaza City to locate and dismantle ... infrastructure sites above and below ground."
Residents of the Zeitoun neighborhood of the city spoke of heavy Israeli bombardment overnight.
