“It was another sleepless, exhausting night as the sounds of explosions continued nonstop. After midnight, we lost track of how many blasts we’d heard,” says Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.

“Medical staff report that many cases coming into the hospital aren’t directly hit by shrapnel,” Mahmoud said, noting that many young people were facing breathing difficulties due to smoke and fumes released when those devices detonate.

“Soon enough, people in Gaza will find themselves trapped by the patterns of these attacks and the intense bombardments, often sandwiched between harsh lines of fire coming from the northwestern side of Gaza City.”

“Nearly one million people are now crammed into this area on the city’s western edge.”