They Returned to Northern Gaza, Only to Be Ordered to Evacuate Again

Early in the war against Hamas, as Israeli forces made their way from the north of the Gaza Strip toward the south, a neighborhood in Gaza City called Shajaiye loomed large in the battle. In December, nine soldiers were killed there on what Israel’s military said was one of the deadliest days of the war for its forces.

Later, with Shajaiye ravaged and the Gaza City appearing pacified, the soldiers moved on, eventually taking the fight to Gaza’s southernmost city, Rafah, described as Hamas’s last major stronghold. In turn, Palestinian civilians who had fled the fighting in Gaza City began making their way back.

On Thursday, they were fleeing again.

Israel ordered people in part of eastern Gaza City to evacuate as Palestinian officials and residents reported heavy strikes and multiple casualties. People in the area described a frantic effort to get out as explosions sounded around them. Palestinian officials said the strikes had hit Shajaiye.

“We were hearing explosions from every direction,” said Mohammad al-Bahrawi, 65, who had returned with his family to their home in Shajaiye months ago. He said “a torrent” of people were sent running.

“I couldn’t even believe that this many people were still in Shajaiye,” Mr. al-Bahrawi said.

The Israeli military said that it could not immediately comment on the strikes. Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, reported that the military was conducting a ground operation to root out Hamas based on intelligence that the armed group had begun to resume control of the neighborhood.

The operation, if confirmed, would be part of a larger pattern of a war in which Israel has struggled to achieve its stated objective: wiping out Hamas, which organized and led the Oct. 7 attacks on Israeli territory that set off the war in Gaza.