“No end to hell,” wrote Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, on X about the situation in northern Gaza.

“At least 400,000 people are trapped in the area,” added Mr Lazzarini.

He said that many people were refusing to listen to evacuation orders “because they know too well that no place anywhere in (the Gaza strip) is safe.”

Dozens of people were killed on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike on Jabalia in northern Gaza, Palestinian sources reported.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said one strike killed 15 people, targeting the courtyard of a hospital and hitting tents sheltering displaced persons.

The Israeli military said it is verifying the reports.

At least 60 people, including a journalist, are said to have been killed in the area since this morning, WAFA reported, citing medical sources. The information could not be independently verified.

Israel’s army has been battling in the area for five consecutive days, according to local officials.

Mr Lazzarini noted that the operation is also endangering the ongoing polio vaccination campaign.

A few days ago, the Israeli army launched a fresh ground incursion into northern Gaza.

Israel said the Islamist group Hamas is attempting to regroup in the Jabalia area.

The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented attack on southern Israel by Hamas and its allies on October 7, 2023.

Members of the militia and other gunmen killed over 1,200 people and abducted around 250 more into the Gaza Strip.

Since then, Israel has been waging a war in an attempt to destroy Hamas both as a military formation and political organisation. 

(dpa/NAN)