Jerusalem: Israeli troops and Palestinian freedom fighters clashed throughout the Gaza Strip over the weekend, both sides said, as mediating countries sought common ground for a possible ceasefire that would release hostages held by Hamas.
Almost 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war with Israel in which the settler-colonial state has levelled entire towns and brutally bombed Palestinian civilians.
Prospects for securing any truce looked uncertain, however, with Israel saying it was, in parallel, planning to expand its sweep to destroy Hamas, while the resistance faction stood firm on its demand for a permanent end to the nearly five-month-old war.
Residents said Israeli forces shelled several areas of the enclave as tanks rolled into Beit Lahiya and soldiers and gunmen waged running battles in the Zeitoun sector of Gaza City - both in the north, which had been conquered early in the offensive.
At least 86 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes since Saturday, medics said. Israel's military said two soldiers died in fighting in southern Gaza and that its forces had killed or captured several Palestinian gunmen in Zeitoun and elsewhere.
