Israeli troops killed more than 30 Hamas terrorists in Gaza City’s Zeitoun district over the past 24 hours, the Israeli military claimed on Monday.

Ten others were killed in the central Gaza Strip, as well as an unspecified number in the southern city of Khan Younis, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Gaza City was overrun by Israeli forces in the first stages of the war and has seen renewed incursions against Hamas terrorists in recent weeks.

It came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back on the idea of another temporary ceasefire soon, claiming that it would only delay the planned assault on Rafah, where almost 1.5 million people are sheltering after numerous displacements.

Foreign governments and aid organisations have repeatedly expressed fears that an invasion of Rafah, in the enclave’s south, would lead to mass civilian casualties.