Israeli troops have surrounded and cut off the main city in Gaza’s north, Gaza City, from the south and are preparing for what is expected to be a difficult and painful effort to root out the terrorists hiding in the urban morass that serves as Hamas’ main stronghold.

The chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, says troops — backed by both air and naval assets — have surrounded the city from several directions in what is being described as “another significant stage in the war.”

“The forces are in the heart of northern Gaza, operating in Gaza City, surrounding it, and deepening [the ground offensive] and its achievements,” General Halevi said in a statement released to Israeli press outlets. He said around 130 Hamas terrorists were killed in gunfights with the Israeli forces on the ground Thursday.

General Halevi said the Israeli forces are fighting “in a dense and complex urban area, which requires professional combat and courage,” as well as close-quarters combat. The advance comes at what he said was a “difficult and painful price,” noting that 19 Israeli soldiers have now died since the ground offensive began six days ago. 

The IDF said its jets have continued to pummel Hamas targets in northern Gaza, and that Navy missiles have been fired on buildings booby trapped by Hamas as well as observation posts used by the terrorists. Naval forces connected to Hamas were also targeted.

In a visit to an army base in central Israel Thursday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said the ground campaign is now “in full swing” and praised the military’s efforts to date. “We have very impressive successes, and we are already beyond the outskirts of Gaza City,” he said. “We are still advancing.” He once again urged residents of northern Gaza to move south for their own safety “because we will not stop our operations to take out Hamas terrorists. We will move forward, and we will win.”

An estimated 800,000 Palestinians have fled south from Gaza City but hundreds of thousands still remain in the enclave. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry claims that 9,000 Palestinians have now died in the conflict, but the figures cannot be corroborated by any reputable sources.

Earlier Thursday, an IDF spokesman said the number of hostages being held in Gaza has reached 242, with many Americans and citizens of other nations among them. The figure is up by two from earlier reports, and the spokesman said the number could rise as the army gathers more intelligence.

The White House said Thursday that it is exploring the idea of a “humanitarian pause” in the fighting in order to allow more Gazans to leave the strip. President Biden said 74 Americans with dual citizenship were allowed to leave the region Thursday via the Raffa crossing on the Egyptian border.

“What we’re trying to do is explore the idea of as many pauses as might be necessary to continue to get aid out and to continue to work to get people out safely, including hostages,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House.

An IDF spokesman, however, said the term “cease-fire” is “not on the table at the moment.”