Hundreds of Palestinians flee north Gaza following heavy Israeli airstrikes

Palestinians were fleeing to Central Gaza on Friday from the besieged territory's north, following a night of airstrikes.

Men, women and children were seen travelling by foot to Wadi Gaza, where more than a million people were already living.

It followed evacuation orders from Israel.

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Early on Friday, Israeli strikes targeted locations near several hospitals as the military pushed deeper into dense urban neighborhoods in its battle with Hamas militants.

Israel has accused Hamas fighters of hiding in hospitals and using the Shifa Hospital complex as its main command center, which the militant group and hospital staff deny, saying Israel is creating a pretext to strike it.

Israel’s relentless bombing of Gaza has killed more than 10,800 people, mainly children, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

The latest war began with an attack on Oct. 7 by Hamas militants who targeted towns, farming communities and a music festival near the Gaza border.

Read more:

WHO says Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital ‘coming under bombardment’

Hamas government says Israeli strike on Gaza’s biggest hospital kills 13