The Israeli military is surrounding Gaza City and "deepening" its operations there, the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff said in a TV interview Thursday.

“Our soldiers have been operating in Gaza City for the past few days, surrounding it from several directions, deepening the operation,” Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said. “Our forces are in very significant areas of Gaza City.”

Halevi said Israel has not delivered any fuel into Gaza. "We check the situation every day," he said. "When fuel runs out, fuel will be delivered under supervision to the hospitals."

Nearly half of all hospitals in Gaza are out of service due to bombardments and fuel shortages, including the leading cancer hospital in the strip, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah. It warned on Wednesday that Gaza’s largest hospital, Al Shifa, could be forced to stop operating soon.

More background: The Israeli army began its full ground operation in Gaza on Friday, moving tanks, bulldozers, infantry and combat engineer units into the strip.

This map shows some of the areas where IDF troops have been operating in the days since: