Some Palestinian civilians were fleeing their homes in northern Gaza on Wednesday just weeks after returning because of an Israeli bombardment which they said was as intense as at the start of the war.
Much of the shelling was focused for a second day on Beit Lahiya on the northern edge of Gaza, where the Israeli military gave evacuation orders to four neighbourhoods on Tuesday, warning they were in a "dangerous combat zone".
After a few weeks of relative calm, Israel intensified its attacks overnight on Monday, focusing on areas, particularly in the north, from where it had previously withdrawn many of its troops, saying Hamas was no longer in control.
Israeli media said Israel was also poised to send troops into the southern town of Rafah, which it regards as Hamas' last bastion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and the Israeli military spokesperson's office had no immediate comment on the media reports.
Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas after the group's fighters stormed across the border on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
The war, now in its seventh month, has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, with many more feared buried in the rubble. The offensive has laid to waste much of the densely populated enclave, displacing most of its 2.3 million people and creating a humanitarian crisis.
Overnight, two people were killed in a strike on a house in the southern city of Rafah, four were killed when a missile hit a group standing outside a supermarket in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp and one was killed in a strike on a house in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, Palestinian health officials said.
Residents in northern Gaza and suburbs of Gaza City also reported heavy shelling.
"We don't know why this is all happening. Is it because we returned home and we finally got some aid through after months of starvation and the Israelis didn't like that?" said Mohammad Jamal, 29, a resident of Gaza City, near Zeitoun, one of Gaza's oldest suburbs.
"It is as if the war started again. As if it is just happening, they burnt up the place," he told Reuters via a chat app.
Asked about Wednesday's developments, the Israeli military had no immediate comment.
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