Explosions rocked Gaza City on Thursday as the Israeli military began the first stages of a planned ground offensive, according to local officials. They added that residents have started to flee the city following an evacuation order from Israel, as the IDF established a foothold on the outskirts after days of artillery fire and bombing. The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, has called for an immediate ceasefire in order "to avoid the death and destruction" that an assault would "inevitably cause". Gaza City is home to more than one million Palestinians.
It comes after the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, signals that he is pressing ahead with his plan to capture all of the city despite international concern. Talks around a ceasefire have continued, as Hamas claimed this week to have accepted a proposal from Arab mediators similar to an earlier offer advocated by the United States and accepted by Israel. But Israel and the US have not responded to this claim yet.
KEEP UP TO DATE USING OUR LIVE BLOG BELOW...
