GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Israeli army has forcibly displaced hundreds of Palestinian families from their shelter in the town of Beit Hanoun amid a major offensive in northern Gaza, witnesses said on Tuesday.

Israeli forces besieged some 130 families inside a shelter in Beit Hanoun and forced them to leave at gunpoint, the witnesses said.

The forced displacement came as the Israeli army expanded its offensive in the town as part of its ongoing military operations in northern Gaza.

A medical source said three people were killed and several injured in Israeli strikes targeting three homes in the town.

The Israeli army has continued its siege of northern Gaza since Oct. 5 on claims of preventing Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

Since then, no humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and fuel, was allowed into the area, leaving most of the population there on the verge of imminent famine.

Israel has continued its devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023. The onslaught has killed more than 43,600 victims and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.

It faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the blockaded enclave.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar