Israel intensifies its military campaign ahead of Netanyahu's meeting with Trump

Israel's military said on Tuesday that it had expanded its operations in Gaza days ahead of a planned trip to Washington by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 7 July, AFP reported.

The intensified operations came after days of mounting calls for a ceasefire, and a month after Hamas submitted a ceasefire deal to Israel. Al Jazeera reported on Monday. Hamas had not heard anything back from Israel or the US on their proposed deal during this time.

In response to reports of deadly strikes in the north and south of the territory, the Israeli army told AFP it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities".

Separately, it said on Tuesday morning that in recent days it had "expanded its operations to additional areas within the Gaza Strip, eliminating dozens of terrorists, and dismantling hundreds of terror infrastructure sites both above and below ground".

Raafat Halles, 39, from the Shujaiya district of Gaza City, said "air strikes and shelling have intensified over the past week"and tanks have been advancing.

"I believe that every time negotiations or a potential ceasefire are mentioned, the army escalates crimes and massacres on the ground," he said. "I don't know why."

Amer Daloul, a 44-year-old resident of Gaza City, also reported fiercer fighting between Israeli forces and fighters in recent days, telling AFP that he and his family were forced to flee the tent they were living in at dawn on Tuesday "due to heavy and random gunfire and shelling".

In the southern city of Rafah, resident Mohammed Abdel Aal, 41, said "tanks are present" in most parts of town.