Israeli forces push into parts of a Gaza city that the war had largely spared

Palestinians flee Deir al-Balah in central Gaza (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

Israeli ground troops for the first time on Monday pushed into areas of a central Gaza city where several aid groups are based, in what appeared to be the latest effort to carve up the Palestinian territory with military corridors.

Deir al-Balah is the only Gaza city that has not seen major ground operations or suffered widespread devastation in 21 months of war, leading to speculation that the Hamas militant group holds large numbers of hostages there.