One month into conflict, Israeli troops reach "heart of Gaza City"

Israeli troops were fighting on Tuesday "in the heart of Gaza City," a senior Israeli commander said, on the 32nd day of the Israel-Hamas conflict that has claimed the lives of 10,328 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Xinhua reported.

In an interview with ABC News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out "tactical little pauses" in the fighting to allow aid to reach Gaza or facilitate the release of some of the around 240 hostages kidnapped by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

However, Netanyahu rejected any general cease-fire unless all hostages were freed.

After the conflict in Gaza ends, Israel will take "overall security responsibility" in Gaza "for an indefinite period," Netanyahu said.

The ground troops of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have continued to move forward in the northern Gaza Strip, reaching central Gaza City. "For the first time in a decade, the IDF is fighting in the heart of Gaza City," the Commanding Officer of the Southern Command Yaron Finkelman said in a press statement near the Gaza Strip border.

Israelis observed a moment of silence across the country to remember the victims of Hamas' attacks on Oct. 7. Candle-lit ceremonies were held in Tel Aviv and other major cities. The surprise Hamas attack that took place one month ago killed about 1,400 people in Israel.

An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement early in the day that troops had secured a military stronghold in the northern Gaza Strip that belonged to Hamas. Anti-tank missiles and launchers, weapons, and various intelligence materials were found in the compound.