Intense Israeli shelling and fighting near Al-Shifa Hospital

Intense Israeli aerial and artillery shelling fighting were heard near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City late on Friday.

Street battles are ongoing within 500 metres of the hospital, a local journalist at the scene told Middle East Eye.

Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesperson of the Palestinian health ministry said: "The Israeli occupation is focusing its bombing in the areas surrounding Al-Shifa and other hospitals in Gaza City and northern Gaza." 

He added that ambulances aren't able to leave the hospital due to the heavy bombardment.

Israeli forces bombed the hospital's maternity ward and outpatient clinic on Friday morning, killing and wounding scores of people.

They then forcibly expelled tens of thousands of people from northern Gaza, including many who were inside Al-Shifa. 

However, al-Qudra said up to 30,000 people remain at the hospital as of Friday night, including many doctors, patients and others taking shelter.

Across Gaza City and northern Gaza, hundreds of thousands of other civilians have refused to leave, due to what they say is a lack of any guarantee of safety or return by the Israeli military.