New bombings in central Gaza

Israeli military has attacked areas in the central Gaza Strip.

– The bombings were very intense, say residents there.

During the morning, there were also reports of airstrikes near a hospital in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Residents of central Gaza recount a night of repeated shelling and bombing.

– It seems that they are approaching, says teacher Radwan Abu Sheitta, referring to the Israeli forces.

He lives in the Bureij refugee camp located in the central parts of the Gaza Strip.

The fighting was also heard in nearby Nuseirat.

– We couldn’t sleep because of the bombings, the children were terrified, says fisherman Ezzel-Din Mohammed Abdallah al-Masry to AP.

Hard to find cover

According to the UN, many Palestinians trying to escape the bombings in Gaza have nowhere to seek shelter.

– People are heading south with mattresses and all their belongings in vans, trucks and cars to try to find somewhere safe, UN employee Gemma Connell told Reuters.

Tom White, head of the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees UNRWA, tells the British BBC that there are currently an estimated 150,000 people in central Gaza who have received evacuation orders from the Israeli military.

During the morning, reports came from residents of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip of airstrikes near the city’s main hospital. The Hamas-run healthcare system states that seven people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike against a house in the city.

In Egypt, an attempt is underway to negotiate a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has not commented directly on the proposal but said on Monday, speaking to members of his Likud party, that he was determined to continue Israel’s offensive.

– We will increase the fight in the coming days and this will be a long fight, he said.

Many thousands dead

According to the latest figures from the Hamas-controlled authorities in Gaza, over 20,400 people have been killed there since the outbreak of war.

When the terrorist-labeled Islamist group attacked Israel on October 7, around 1,200 people were killed and around 240 were taken hostage. Over 100 of the hostages were released during a temporary ceasefire at the end of November.