Air strikes pound Gaza City as Israeli ground forces battle Hamas near hospital

Israel has vowed to end Hamas’s 16-year rule in Gaza, blaming the militants for the war’s heavy toll on the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in the besieged territory

Gaza City has again been pounded by Israeli air strikes (Leo Correa/AP)

Israeli strikes pounded Gaza City overnight and into Sunday as ground forces battled Hamas militants near the territory’s largest hospital, where health officials say thousands of medics, patients and displaced people are trapped with no electricity and dwindling supplies.

In a televised address on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected growing international calls for a ceasefire unless it includes the release of all 239 hostages captured by Hamas in the October 7 rampage that triggered the war, saying Israel is bringing its “full force” to the battle.