Palestinians trapped as Israel besieges northern Gaza sparking new humanatarian crisis

Israel has tightened its siege on the northern Gaza Strip, where around 400,000 Palestinians are trapped amid a renewed ground assault, sparking fears of a new humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

Several people were killed in Israeli shelling of the Jabalia refugee camp early on Thursday, an area where Israel said in June that Hamas' capabilities had been "dismantled".

Clashes have taken place between Israeli forces and Palestinian groups in northern Gaza, with the Israeli army announcing that three soldiers were killed there by an explosive device.

Civilians trapped in the north have been ordered to leave to "safe" areas in Gaza's south, where Israel had previously claimed was the last stronghold of Hamas' remaining brigades.

Israel has issued numerous such orders throughout the war, seeing hundreds of thousands of civilians forced to leave their homes to makeshift camps in other parts of the enclave. 

Medical centres in northern Gaza have also been issued eviction notices, including the Kamal Adwan Hospital, the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya and Jabalia's Al-Awda Hospital.

Dr Husam Abu Safiyeh, head of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, told reporters on Thursday that an evacuation of the medical facility would not be possible, with at least seven intensive care cases at the centre. The UN recently

Amid the attacks, a UN report on Thursday accused Israel of "relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities", part of a systematic campaign to destroy healthcare facilities in the besieged enclave.

While ordering evacuations from northern Gaza, Israeli forces and drones have indiscriminately fired at those fleeing, according to witnesses.

"Quadcopter drones are hovering low over the streets, firing at anything that moves," Jabalia resident Mohammed Shehab told Israeli outlet +972. "Snipers are positioned on rooftops, targeting anyone who steps outside. At the same time, soldiers and tanks have pushed into the camp, demolishing homes and bulldozing roads and fields."

On Thursday, an Israeli strike on a school in Deir al-Balah killed at least 28 people sheltering there, medics said.

Israel's war on Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians and wounded close to 100,000 others, according to Gaza's health ministry.