Israeli forces have stepped up their assault on Gaza City with a wave of heavy air strikes, marking a sharp escalation from previous military operations. Unlike earlier phases of the war, the current offensive has relied heavily on aerial bombardments, with entire apartment blocks and large concrete structures reduced to rubble.

Israeli strikes killed at least 40 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, local health authorities said, most of them in Gaza City where many residents are staying put despite Israeli evacuation orders because they have nowhere safe to go.

Israel’s government claims capturing the territory’s largest population centre is essential to defeating the remnants of Hamas, where many of its remaining fighters are believed to be holding out. But Palestinians see leaving Gaza City as the end of any hope for the possibility of a future Palestinian state.

On the day it attacked Hamas leadership in Qatar, Israel warned Gaza City residents to evacuate in advance of a major offensive.

BBC Verify asked experts, in the UK and elsewhere, if Israel’s actions in Gaza have been proportionate.

Over several days, Israel has destroyed multiple high-rise buildings in Gaza City, accusing Hamas of putting surveillance infrastructure in them.

Italy has told Israel to respect the rights of Italians taking part on an activist flotilla that is trying to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Hundreds of thousands will have to decide whether to risk staying put or fleeing to ruined and overcrowded areas in the south as Israel looks set to launch an operation to take over the entire city.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel in the coming days amid dwindling prospects for a Gaza ceasefire and disapproval from President Donald Trump over Israel’s “unilateral” strike on Doha less than a week ago.