"There is no safe place: residents in Gaza describe bombardments

Frightened residents of Gaza have described bombardments striking residential buildings, hospitals and schools across the enclave amid growing concern over destruction of civilian infrastructure as Israel pledges to enforce a full siege.

- Ruth Michaelson

The Palestinian health ministry said more than 830 people have been killed, with 4,250 wounded since Saturday.

"I believe this is the most serious escalation I will face," said Nidal Hamdouna, a humanitarian worker with Norwegian-Danish organisation Church Aid, speaking from the northern edge of Gaza City. "I was born here in Gaza, I witnessed the previous escalations.

"The situation we are facing involves intensive airstrikes and shelling targeting different locations across the Gaza Strip, including my neighbourhood. The issue is that there is no safe place to go to in Gaza right now.

"I witnessed the wars of 2008, 2014 and 2021, but this is something unique in terms of the intensity ...

entire families have been killed." Gaza's sole border crossing with Egypt, the only entry point not controlled by Israel, was hit by an Israeli airstrike yesterday for the third time in 24 hours, an Egyptian NGO said.

The UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) has said that more than 200,000 people have been displaced in Gaza, with that number expected to rise. Airstrikes levelled 790 housing units and severely damaged 5,330, it said.