Israeli special forces raided two schools in Gaza overnight, where the IDF said Hamas operatives were holed up.

The Israel Defense Forces said troops killed several Hamas terrorists in the area, forcing several others to surrender.

The military also said it had raided apartments in Khan Younis stocked with weapons, and uncovered what it described as underground infrastructure used by Hamas. The reports could not be independently verified.

It comes after the US urged Israel to scale down the broad military campaign and transition to more narrowly targeted operations against Hamas leaders.

Israel’s main ally said the country risks losing international support because of the high civilian death toll in Gaza, where more than 18,000 people have now died according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

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