Palestinian civilians are fleeing their homes in northern Gaza just weeks after returning because of Israeli bombardment which they claim is as intense as at the start of the military operation, Reuters reports.

Much of the shelling was focused for a second day on Beit Lahiya on the northern edge of Gaza, where the Israeli military has given out evacuation orders, warning civilians they were in a “dangerous combat zone”.

Residents in northern Gaza and the suburbs of Gaza City also reported heavy shelling.

“We don’t know why this is all happening. Is it because we returned home and we finally got some aid through after months of starvation and the Israelis didn’t like that?” said Mohammad Jamal, 29, who lives near Zeitoun, one of Gaza’s oldest suburbs.

“It is as if the war started again. As if it is just happening, they burnt up the place,” he told Reuters via a chat app.