Gaza, Nov 6 (IANS): Israel's military said its forces reached the coast of Gaza City and have encircled the Hamas militant group.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Sunday that the armoured 36th Division reached "positions along the coast of Gaza", and the troops were "encircling" Hamas forces in the city, Xinhua news agency reported.

The military added that their goal is "to strike and destroy select targets, including significant assets and command and control centers belonging to the Hamas".

"The forces divided the Strip to Gaza-north and Gaza-south and control the shoreline," Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a briefing.

"Massive attacks are currently being carried out in the northern Gaza Strip, including the killing of Hamas commanders," he added.

Hagari repeated the calls to Gazans to evacuate themselves from northern Gaza through "a one-way corridor for civilians" to the south as more Israeli strikes are expected in the Gaza City.

Also on Sunday night, Hagari demanded that Hamas stop the "systematic exploitation of medical facilities for terrorist activity."

In a separate briefing, the IDF spokesperson presented audio footage and images that he said were evidence that the Hamas underground infrastructure was embedded beneath hospitals located in the northern enclave.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced on Sunday that its fighters "trapped Israeli forces penetrating east of Khan Younis into a tight ambush after striking them with Al-Yassin 105 shells, heavy sniper weapons, medium weapons, and mortar shells, which led to the destruction of two tanks".