Gaza's north hit by heavy shelling, road closures: Civil defence

The Israeli army targeted northern Gaza with intense shelling and closed roads, preventing the delivery of aid, the war-torn enclave's civil defence agency said on Wednesday.

At the weekend, the Israeli army announced it had surrounded the Jabalia area of northern Gaza and it reissued new expulsion orders on Tuesday.

"The shelling is intensifying, targeting civilians and their homes, causing significant fear and terror among the residents," said Ahmad al-Kahlut, the agency's director in north Gaza.

He said the Israeli army was also targeting the northern towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanun along with Jabalia. 

"Roads have been closed, and there has been a continuous siege for the fourth consecutive day, with no supplies entering the North Gaza Governorate," Kahlut said.

According to the director, "a large number" of people have been killed in northern Gaza in recent days.

But he said counting the casualties had been complicated by the "difficulty of recovery and access to all areas".

He added that his agency had been receiving calls for help from various parts of northern Gaza, but staff had been unable to enter these areas for security reasons.

Reporting by AFP and MEE