The Israeli military claims it has captured 11 Hamas outposts since its ground offensive began, as the battle in the north of the Gaza Strip continues to rage on.

The claims were made in a statement from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) this morning, which also said that Israeli naval forces struck targets inside the Al Shati refugee camp overnight.

Israel is facing mounting pressure, including from the US, to curb the number of civilian casualties in Gaza.

Air strikes and intense ground battles were reported around several hospitals on Friday and the fighting was reported to have intensified again overnight.

The Israeli military said that while it does not strike hospitals, it will “do what it has to do” if it sees Hamas militants firing from them. 

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