At least 40 people have been killed and many more wounded after the Israeli military shelled a Gaza neighbourhood, according to Sky sources.
Thousands of Palestinians fled Shaja’iya in northeast Gaza – some by foot and others in the backs of trucks or sitting on the hoods of packed cars – as the attack began.
Sky’s Sherine Tadros, reporting from Shaja’iya, said Palestinians leaving the area were describing it as a “massacre”.
“This is a very heavily populated residential area,” she said.
“We have seen hundreds upon hundreds of people leaving and they are not carrying bags packed with clothes, they are not carrying anything. They are literally running for their lives.”
Israeli tanks were reported to be firing into the neighbourhood while drones and fighter jets could be heard overhead.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said: “Two days ago, residents of Shaja’iya received recorded messages to evacuate the area in order to protect their lives.”
But Sherine Tadros said there is nowhere for those fleeing the assault to run to.
“They are leaving this area but of course there is nowhere safe here,” she said.
“You expect to see all these people flee across a border, but they can’t cross a border. Gaza is completely locked off.”
Hamas accepted a proposal – secured by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – for a three-hour humanitarian ceasefire on Sunday.
Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said: “The ICRC contacted (us) and offered to broker a three-hour humanitarian truce to enable ambulances to evacuate the dead and wounded and Hamas accepted it.”
Naftali Bennett, Israeli economic minister, told Sky News Hamas was “cynically” using women and children as human shields.
He said: “They only difference between us and Hamas in Gaza is that they are deliberately sending their women and children to stand next to missile launchers in order for them to get killed and then they cry to the world that they are being killed.
“This is cynical and cowardly. Israel has all the right to defend itself.
“They started this, they are continuing this, this can all go away the moment they disarm themselves and stop shooting us.”
The Israeli military has said it has hit more than 2,500 targets in Gaza, including 1,100 rocket launchers, after nearly two weeks of fighting.
It has said around 70 militants have been killed and another 13 brought to Israel for questioning.
It claims militants have fired more than 1,760 rockets at Israeli cities since July 8.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has travelled to Qatar to try to restart ceasefire efforts.
Last week, Hamas rejected an Egyptian-brokered truce – saying it would only agree if Israel and Egypt significantly eased the border blockade of Gaza.
Since the start of the fighting, 378 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 3,000 wounded, according to Gaza Health Ministry official Ashraf al Kidra.
Two Israeli soldiers died in the fighting this weekend, while another three were killed when the ground offensive began on Thursday. Two Israeli civilians have also been killed in rocket attacks.
Sky News
