Palestinian and UN officials say there are no safe zones in the territory. Most of its 2.3 million people have been displaced to other parts of Gaza, some about 10 times since the war broke out last year.

The Israeli army carried out strikes on Tuesday that killed at least 12 Palestinians across Gaza, mostly in the northern edge town of Beit Lahiya, while issuing new evacuation orders in the southern enclave, medics said.

Israeli forces have been carrying out a military operation since last October, while four others were killed elsewhere in Gaza City.

Meanwhile, The Israeli military issued evacuation orders to residents of northern neighborhoods in Khan Younis, a town in the southern Gaza Strip, noting that militants fired rockets from those areas. The orders prompted rapid displacement of families, mostly before dawn.