The Israeli forces have intensified their operations in the city of Gaza, the largest city in the strip, while the army stated that the aim is to eliminate Hamas, leading to the flight of thousands of Palestinians on Monday from an area already devastated in the early weeks of the nine-month long war.

The incursion into the eastern part of the city of Gaza expands Israel’s presence in the northern part of the besieged strip, an area Israel said it had controlled months ago, but where pockets of renewed activity from the movement have emerged, resulting in a reduction of Israeli military gains and the withdrawal of forces to return to such operations. The army said Israel ordered the evacuation of the area before launching the raid.

The fierce fighting that took place in the region during the early weeks of the war led to the evacuation of the city of Gaza and its suburbs, and the Israeli army prevented most people from returning to their homes there. However, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still remain in the area, living under the rubble of their homes or in shelters. The new fighting means further displacement for many of the residents there.

Said Abd El-Baqi, a mother of three who sought refuge in the house of her relatives in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City: "We fled in the dark amidst heavy shelling." "This is my fifth displacement."

Residents reported artillery and tank fire in the area, as well as air strikes. The Gaza Health Ministry, which has limited access to northern Gaza, did not immediately report any casualties. The civil defense, also run by Hamas, did not disclose casualty figures immediately, stating that the area was inaccessible due to the fierce clashes.

The fighting comes at a time when it appeared that Israel and Hamas were closer than ever in recent months to agreeing on a ceasefire that would lead to a temporary halt of the war in exchange for the release of dozens of Israelis held as hostages by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

However, obstacles remain, even after Hamas agreed days ago to backtrack on its main demand that Israel commit to ending the war as part of any agreement. Officials told the Associated Press that the main part of this shift in its position is the level of destruction in Gaza resulting from the intensive Israeli bombing campaign.

Still, Hamas wants to include in the deal what "guarantees" the mediators that the negotiations will end with a permanent ceasefire agreement, according to officials familiar with the talks. The current draft states that the mediators – the United States, Qatar, and Egypt – will "do their utmost" to ensure that the negotiations lead to an agreement to end the war.

This could remain a stumbling block for Israel, which rejected any agreement that would force it to end the war with Hamas remaining intact – a condition reiterated on Sunday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Officials said there is another point of contention regarding whether Hamas should be allowed to select the prominent prisoners it wants released as part of the deal. Some of the long-held prisoners have been convicted of serious offenses against Israelis, and Israel opposes allowing Hamas to determine who will be released.

Officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss sensitive negotiations with the media.

While diplomatic efforts were escalating to bring an end to the war, people in Gaza saw no end in sight to their suffering.

Residents who fled from the eastern neighborhoods of the Gaza Strip early on Monday said that Israel is conducting intense airstrikes in the area, prompting some Palestinians taking shelter in neighborhoods that were not under evacuation orders to seek refuge elsewhere.

Maha Mahfouz fled her home with her two children and several neighbors from the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. She said that their area was not included in the evacuation orders, but “we feel panicked because the shelling and gunfire are so close to us.”

Fadl Naeem, director of the Al-Ahli Hospital, said that patients and their companions fled the hospital in a panic despite there being no specific evacuation order for the area surrounding the hospital. He said that people "left fearing the worst," adding that patients in critical condition were evacuated to other hospitals in northern Gaza.

The Israeli army said it launched the operation after receiving intelligence that indicated the area houses Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants as well as weapons and interrogation and detention rooms, claiming militants also use a facility belonging to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, without providing evidence.

Mohammed Bassem, a spokesperson for the civil defense associated with Hamas, said that the neighborhoods of Al-Tuffah, Al-Daraj, and Al-Shuja’iyya – the latter still facing an Israeli incursion that began last month – have become difficult to access due to the intense Israeli bombing.

In a voice message late on Sunday, he said that the Israeli army bombed residential homes in the Yafa area of Gaza City, and that first responders “saw people lying on the ground and could not retrieve them due to the bombing.”

The war has resulted in the deaths of more than 38,000 people in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and the fighting has led to the destruction of vast urban areas in Gaza, resulting in a humanitarian catastrophe and the displacement of most of the 2.3 million residents of the strip.

The war erupted with a surprise incursion launched by Hamas across the border on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people in southern Israel, most of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities. Militants took nearly 250 people hostage, and about 120 of them remain in captivity, with about a third of them said to have died.