Soldiers advance in a Gaza City neighborhood as the UN says at least 60,000 Palestinian residents are displaced.
The Israeli military has said its troops are intensifying operations in the Shujayea neighborhood, east of Gaza City, and “fighting simultaneously above and below ground.”
In a situation update on Saturday, he said troops had eliminated “a large number of terrorists” over the past day and located a weapons storage facility inside a school compound.
He said the air force also attacked “terrorist targets and armed terrorist cells, including a terrorist cell that was on its way to fire on troops.”
The Israeli military earlier issued a statement demanding residents of Shujayea and adjacent areas to move south along the Salah al-Din arterial road, which crosses the length of the enclave.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera's Hind Khoudary said Israeli forces attacked a group of Palestinians in Gaza City who were trying to fill water containers at a distribution point.
“Four Palestinians from the same family, the Al-Ghazi family, were killed in this bombing. Among them was a child,” he said.
“We saw a video online showing the boy in his father's arms, covered in blood, lying on the ground before paramedics could rush him to hospital.”
At least 60,000 displaced: UN
United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the new Israeli offensive in Shujayea has forced the displacement of “at least 60,000” residents.
“Humanitarian partners are reporting new displacements… Yesterday, the Israeli army ordered people living in 28 residential blocks in areas east of Gaza City to evacuate immediately… at least 60,000 people were displaced from this area, which It extends over more than seven square kilometers [2.7 square miles]”Dujarric said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said its troops were continuing their intelligence-led operation in Rafah in southern Gaza and had “eliminated numerous terrorists in the area” over the past day.
In central Gaza, the army claimed to have “eliminated numerous terrorists” on the ground and that the air force had attacked “several anti-tank missile posts.”
Two projectiles were also identified crossing from Gaza towards Sderot, Israel: the Air Defense System intercepted one and the other fell in an open area.
Dujarric also said that a military operation in the al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza, designated a “safe zone” by Israel, resulted in many casualties and the displacement of at least 5,000 people.
At least two people were killed in an Israeli bombing near the al-Istiqama mosque in the al-Jnaina neighborhood, east of Rafah, sources told Al Jazeera.
Several other people were injured when Israeli forces opened fire near the Al-Alam roundabout, west of Rafah.
On Saturday, Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 37,834 people have been killed and 86,858 injured in Israel's war in Gaza since October 7.
The updated death toll includes 40 Palestinians killed and 224 wounded in the last 24 hours, according to the report.
