Gaza’s civil defence agency has said Israeli air strikes on Gaza City have intensified in recent days, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet approving plans to expand the offensive there, AFP reports.

The Israeli government has not provided an exact timetable on when its forces would enter the area, but according to the civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal, air strikes on Gaza City have been increasing for the past three days.

Bassal said the residential neighbourhoods of Zeitoun and Sabra have been hit “with very heavy airstrikes targeting civilian homes, possibly including high-rise buildings”.

“The Israeli occupation is using all types of weapons in that area — bombs, drones, and also highly explosive munitions that cause massive destruction to civilian homes,” he added.

“The bombardment has been extremely intense for the past two days. With every strike, the ground shakes. There are martyrs under the rubble that no one can reach because the shelling hasn’t stopped,” said Majed al-Hosary, a resident in Zeitoun.