Israeli strikes pound Gaza City after tens of thousands flee

Palestinians flee the Naser neighbourhood after an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City (Abed Khaled/AP)

Israeli strikes pounded Gaza City overnight and into Thursday as ground forces battled Hamas militants in dense urban neighbourhoods from which tens of thousands have fled in recent days.

Israeli troops were around 1.8 miles from Shifa Hospital in the heart of the city centre, the hospital’s director said.