Palestinians flee Gaza City’s Shejaiya area amid heavy bombardment

BBC:

Palestinians have been fleeing Gaza City’s eastern Shejaiya district amid intense Israeli bombardment and a reported incursion by ground forces.

One Gaza City resident said it had “sounded as if the war is restarting”, while Hamas-run authorities said air strikes had killed at least seven people.

Palestinian armed groups said they had targeted a tank and a bulldozer east of Shejaiya, where there were fierce battles during an Israeli operation at the end of last year.

The Israeli military has not commented on the reports, but it did order residents to evacuate and head southwards.

It comes days after Israel’s prime minister said that “the intense phase” of the fighting against Hamas was “about to end”.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 37,760 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.