Israeli forces say they are making significant progress with their ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. But there is growing concern that the fighting will spread further south, leaving civilians even more vulnerable.

Israel Defence Forces Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said, "We are quite close to destroying the military system that existed in the northern Gaza Strip. We will do this. We still have some finishing to do, but we are getting close to it."

Local media say Israel has conducted airstrikes in the southern part of Gaza, causing casualties.

The United Nations says hundreds of thousands of people have escaped to the area, and evacuees in Khan Younis say the Israeli military is now urging them to move elsewhere.

Israeli forces say they have found the bodies of two Israeli women near Al-Shifa Hospital. They say one was a soldier and the other a civilian who were taken hostage during the surprise attack by Hamas last month that triggered the escalation in violence.

Israeli troops raided the facility on Wednesday, claiming Hamas had been using it as a command center. The Palestinian group denies the allegation.

Health officials in Gaza say people are unable to flee Al-Shifa because Israel has destroyed the cars that were parked there. They also say there are no supplies of water or food.

A Japanese nurse who worked at a hospital in Gaza is now back in Japan. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Kawase Sachiko of Osaka Red Cross Hospital said it is heartbreaking to be away when medical workers are needed most.

She added, "As I speak before you, the number of casualties in Gaza keeps rising. Each and every one of us must not be a silent bystander of this historic tragedy."