Explosions, air strikes and gunfire have continued to rattle northern Gaza on the third day of an Israeli military operation that has uprooted tens of thousands of Palestinians and compounded what the UN called “unbearable” living conditions in the territory.

An AFP correspondent reported explosions from the Shujaiya area near Gaza City, and a resident said bodies were seen on the streets.

The armed wings of both Hamas and the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad said they were engaged in ongoing fighting with Israeli forces there.

Israel’s military said fighting “above and below the ground” in Shujaiya left a “large number” of militants dead. It claimed “dozens of terrorists” were killed and weapons, drones and observation posts were found, as well as a long-range rocket launcher and tunnel shafts.

The military on Saturday reported two soldiers killed and two severely wounded in combat in northern Gaza. A resurgence of fighting in the area comes months after Israel declared the command structure of Hamas dismantled in the north.