Israeli forces launch ground and air assault on Deir al-Balahpublished at 08:07 British Summer Time
Rushdi Abualouf
Gaza correspondent, reporting from Istanbul
Israeli forces have launched a ground and air assault on the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, prompting fresh waves of displacement among civilians already uprooted by the ongoing conflict.
The operation began early on Monday, just hours after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings to residents of six residential blocks in the south-western part of the city.
The area is currently packed with thousands of displaced people from Rafah and Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.
Local journalists told the BBC that Israeli tanks and military vehicles pushed into the city from the Kisufim checkpoint under heavy artillery and air cover.
Dozens of shells reportedly struck the Abu al-‘Ajin and Hikr al-Jami’ neighbourhoods, as ground forces moved in.
Footage shared on social media showed flashes of explosions and the sound of sustained gunfire as Israeli troops advanced.
Thousands of residents fled the city overnight towards the coastal area of al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis, which has become one of the few remaining zones of relative refuge in southern Gaza.
There are growing fears among local residents that the latest military push could be part of an effort to carve out a new corridor that would isolate Deir al-Balah from the surrounding central Gaza region.
If confirmed, this would be the third such axis, following the establishment of Israeli military routes through the Netzarim corridor in southern Gaza City and the Morag axis in Rafah.
The BBC has asked the Israeli military for comment.