Israeli forces have surrounded Gaza City from several directions, after weeks of airstrikes followed by a ground invasion.
The Israeli military’s chief of staff, Herzi Halevy, said his forces were closing in on Gaza and “fighting in a built-up, dense, complex area.”
On Thursday, Israeli planes dropped leaflets warning with the message “time is up” warning residents to immediately evacuate Shati refugee camp, a densely built-up district on the Mediterranean coast bordering Gaza City’s center.
In a statement, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We’re at the height of the battle. We’ve had impressive successes and have passed the outskirts of Gaza City. We are advancing,”
This comes as the death toll of Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes rises to 9,061, according to the Hamas-led health ministry.
Among those killed include 3,760 children and 2,326 women while a further 32,000 have been injured, they said.
Five battles are currently being fought between the IDF and Hamas, with the biggest taking place in the north-west of the strip.
No British citizens are expected to leave Gaza today, despite government assurances that it is a “top priority” to retrieve the 200 Britons trapped in the besieged enclave.
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