"Forces from the 401st brigade and the 406th brigade have successfully surrounded the area and are currently continuing to operate there", writes Israel's military IDF in a statement.
According to Israel, intelligence points to "the presence of terrorists and infrastructure for terror in the Jabalia area... as well as attempts by Hamas to rebuild its operational capacity in the area".
Israeli fighter jets have attacked what is claimed to be military targets in Jabalia to support the army. Weapon depots as well as underground and other military infrastructure have been hit, according to IDF.
Gaza's civil defense reports that Jabalia has been hit several times during the night and that the casualties are many.
New Evacuation Ordered
Israel has ordered a new evacuation in northern Gaza, where the country's military has repeatedly carried out large-scale air and ground operations during the war. Up to 300,000 people are estimated to remain in the area, despite difficult conditions and extensive destruction.
"We are in a new phase of the war" and "these areas are considered dangerous combat zones", read leaflets dropped over northern Gaza.
Residents of the area are witnessing heavy Israeli shelling.
19 Dead in Mosque Attack
At least 19 people were killed in an Israeli attack on a mosque in central Gaza early Sunday morning.
AP journalists on site in the city of Dayr al-Balah have counted the bodies. All the victims were men, according to the nearby al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital in a statement, which says that people seeking shelter were in the mosque.
Israel's military claims that the target was a Hamas center that was supposed to be located in the mosque.
In total, nearly 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to health authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
