Israeli forces have advanced further into the Shujayea neighbourhood of northern Gaza and also pushed deeper into western and central Rafah in the south, killing at least six Palestinians and destroying several homes, residents said, Reuters reports.

Israeli tanks, which moved back into Shujayea four days ago, fired shells towards several houses, leaving families trapped inside and unable to leave, the residents said.

The armed wing of Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad reported fierce fighting in both Shejaia and Rafah, saying their fighters had fired anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs against Israeli forces operating there.

In Rafah, tanks pushed deeper into several districts in the east, west and centre of the city, and medics said six people had been killed in an Israeli strike on a house in Shaboura, in the heart of the city.

The six bodies from the Zurub family were transferred to Nasser Hospital in the nearby city of Khan Younis. Residents said the Israeli army had torched the Al-Awda mosque in the centre of Rafah, one of the city’s best-known.