Thousands of Gazans flooded the coast road north after hearing that several people managed to cross a closed checkpoint towards Gaza City, despite Israel denying it was open.

An AFP journalist saw mothers holding their children’s hands and families piling onto donkey carts with their luggage as they made the journey.

They hoped to cross a military checkpoint on Al-Rashid road south of Gaza City, but the Israeli army told AFP that reports the route was open were “not true”.

On the other side, desperate families waited for their loved ones in the rubble of the battered main city in the Palestinian territory.