Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City as Israeli troops advance

Israel says its aim is to defeat up to 3,000 Hamas fighters who remain there, but the offensive has drawn international condemnation.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveThousands of Palestinians flee as Israeli troops push into Gaza City2 hours agoShareSaveTom BennettJerusalemShareSaveReutersUN estimates suggest at least 650,000 people remain in Gaza City as Israel ramps up its offensiveThousands of Palestinians are continuing to flee Gaza City, as Israel's major ground offensive aimed at occupying the area enters a second day.

Amid large-scale bombardment overnight, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said al-Rantisi children's hospital was targeted in three separate Israeli attacks, forcing half of its patients and their families to flee. The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.

Other hospitals said at least 35 people had been killed by Israeli fire across Gaza so far on Wednesday, most of them in the north.

Earlier, the Israeli military announced that it had struck more than 150 targets across Gaza City in two days in support of its ground forces.

Israel says its aim is to free its hostages and defeat up to 3,000 Hamas fighters in what it describes as the group's "last stronghold", but the offensive has drawn widespread international condemnation.