Palestinians flee battles as mediators push for Gaza truce deal

Palestinians on Monday fled heavy battles in Gaza City as the Israeli military expanded an evacuation order nine months into its conflict with Hamas.

The Israeli military called on Palestinians to leave parts of Gaza City's west, the army's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said on social media, expanding its evacuation zone in the territory's biggest city with the third order in less than two weeks.

Thousands were on the move again, according to the Civil Defense agency in the Hamas-run territory.

Israeli troops and tanks pushed into parts of Gaza City, in the besieged territory's north, and battled Hamas. Elsewhere in Gaza, AFPTV images showed Palestine Red Crescent members removing a body from the rubble after a strike in Jabalia, another Gaza City district.

Israel's military also reported strikes on targets in the Rafah and Khan Yunis areas of southern Gaza.

While fighting raged, Hamas and Israel staked their claims for truce talks as mediators Egypt and Qatar were due to host new meetings this week, according to officials.

Considering the ongoing threats by the Israeli army to large neighborhoods of Gaza City, and the killings and displacement it is carrying out, the head of Hamas's political bureau Ismail Haniyeh has made urgent contacts with mediators, Hamas said in a statement.

Haniyeh warned of the repercussions of Israel's operations in Gaza City, Rafah and other areas across the Gaza Strip, noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli army would bear full responsibility for the collapse of the negotiation path, the statement added.

Hamas signaled last week that it had dropped a key demand that Israel first commit to a permanent ceasefire before the group would sign an agreement, raising hopes for progress in the internationally brokered negotiations, according to media reports.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Monday that with nine out of every 10 people estimated to be displaced in Gaza, new waves of displacement are mainly affecting people who have already been displaced multiple times, only to find themselves forced to flee again under shelling. They have been forced to reset their lives repeatedly without any of their belongings or any prospect of finding safety or reliable access to essential services, the agency added.

"People, especially children, spend long hours queuing to collect water each day," the OCHA said.

Meanwhile, Munir al-Bursh, an official with the Gaza-based health authorities, warned on Monday that the health capabilities in Gaza Strip hospitals are weak and fuel shortage is a major crisis for the health sector.

About 25,000 patients urgently needed treatment outside the Gaza Strip, but only 5,000 have managed to travel, he said, emphasizing that the situation is extremely difficult. He called for the immediate reopening of the Rafah crossing.

(With input from agencies)