Following a clash with Hamas south of Khan Younis in the strip on Wednesday, he said: "We will deepen the attack on Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organization.

The Palestinian group Hamas said Wednesday that a planned Israeli offensive to take over Gaza City will fail just like previous attempts. “The operation will fail just as its predecessors did. Israel will not achieve its objectives, and the occupation of Gaza will not be a picnic," it said.