Israel has warned residents of Gaza’s largest refugee camp Jabalia and a nearby coastal camp to evacuate, as the military said it is “expanding its operational activities in additional neighbourhoods… of the Gaza Strip”.

After intense bombardment, an AFP journalist in Gaza saw columns of smoke rising from Jabalia yesterday.

Israel’s military has said Jabalia is among the areas of focus as they “target terrorists and strike Hamas infrastructure”. Without mentioning the strikes, the Israeli army said “an incident in the Jabalia region” was under review.

According to the UN agency for Palestinians, Jabalia is the largest of Gaza Strip’s eight refugee camps. It is located north of Gaza City, close to a village of the same name. After the 1948 War, refugees settled in the camp, most having fled from villages in southern Palestine.