Fighting rages in Gaza City district for fourth day

Tens of thousands of Palestinians flee devastated area as Israeli army strikes

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GAZA STRIP Heavy battles and bombardment hit Gaza City's Shejaia district for a fourth day on June 30, months after the Israeli army declared Hamas' command structure dismantled in the northern area.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled the devastated neighbourhood, where the Israeli army said it has fought Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants both "above and below ground" in tunnels.

The military said troops had "eliminated several terrorists, located weapons and conducted targeted raids on booby-trapped combat compounds" over the past 24 hours while the air force had "struck dozens" of the militants' infrastructure sites.

It also reported clashes in central Gaza and the southern Rafah area, a week after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the "intense phase" of the war raging since Oct 7 was nearing an end.

The UN humanitarian agency Ocha estimated that "60,000 to 80,000 people were displaced" from Shejaia since new fighting broke out there on June 27 and the army issued evacuation orders.

Months of on-and-off talks towards a Gaza truce and hostage release deal have, meanwhile, made little progress, with Hamas saying on June 29 there was "nothing new" in a revised plan presented by US mediators.