Israeli forces advanced deeper into Gaza City, chasing militants who had regrouped there, causing thousands of Palestinians to flee from an area heavily damaged in the early stages of the nine-month war.

Hamas warned that these recent raids and displacements could jeopardize ongoing cease-fire and hostage release negotiations, which had seen progress in recent days.

Israeli troops were once again battling militants in northern Gaza, in areas previously declared clear by the army. The military ordered evacuations before the raids, but Palestinians reported feeling unsafe everywhere.

Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been repeatedly displaced, with hundreds of thousands living in overcrowded tent camps.

Israel had ordered northern Gaza’s evacuation early in the war, barring most from returning, though hundreds of thousands remain in makeshift shelters or damaged homes, the Associated Press has reported.

Residents reported artillery, tank fire, and airstrikes. Gaza’s Health Ministry, with limited access to the north, did not immediately report casualties.

Israel issued further evacuation orders for central Gaza City neighborhoods, citing intelligence on Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants in the area, urging residents to move south to Deir al-Balah.

Israel accuses militants of using civilian areas as cover. In Shijaiyah, a neighborhood in Gaza City with prolonged fighting, Israeli troops reportedly destroyed schools and a clinic converted into militant bases.

Written by B.C. Begley