Israel opens new route out of Gaza City for 48 hours as tanks advance

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it was opening an additional route for 48 hours that Palestinians could use to leave Gaza City as it stepped up efforts to empty the city of civilians and confront thousands of Hamas combatants, Report informs via Reuters.

Hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering in the city and many are reluctant to follow Israel's orders to move south because of the dangers along the way, dire conditions, a lack of food in the southern area, and fear of permanent displacement.

At least 30 people were killed across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in Israel's latest strikes, including 19 in Gaza City, local health authorities said.

A day after Israel announced the launch of a ground offensive to seize control of Gaza's main urban centre, tanks had moved short distances towards the city's central and western areas from three directions, but no major advance was reported.

An Israeli official said military operations were focused on getting civilians to head south and that fighting would intensify over the next month or two.

The official said Israel expected around 100,000 civilians to remain in the city, which would take months to capture, and the operation could be suspended if a ceasefire was reached with the Hamas militant group.

The prospects of a ceasefire appear remote after Israel attacked Hamas political leaders in Doha last week, infuriating Qatar, a co-mediator in ceasefire talks.

Defying global criticism of the attack, including a rebuke by Israel's stalwart ally, the United States, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will strike Hamas leaders anywhere.

Visiting Doha on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was "a very short window of time" in which a ceasefire could happen, apparently referring to Israel's stated plans to crush Hamas by force in Gaza.