Israeli tanks have advanced into the fringes of Gaza City, witnesses said, as it ramped up its war on Hamas saying it had killed dozens of fighters in hundreds of strikes.

Tanks entered the Zaytun district on the southern fringes of Gaza City, cutting a key road from the north to the south of the war-torn Palestinian territory, witnesses told AFP on Monday.

“They have cut the Salahedin Road and are firing at any vehicle that tries to go along it,” said one resident who did not give his name.

Although huge numbers have left northern Gaza in recent weeks, tens of thousands more are believed to be still in the zone.