JERUSALEM/CAIRO: Israel controls 40 percent of Gaza City, a military spokesperson said on Thursday, as its bombardment forced more Palestinians from their homes there, while thousands of residents defied Israeli orders to leave, remaining behind in the ruins in the path of Israel’s latest advance. Gaza health authorities said Israeli fire across the enclave had killed at least 53 people on Thursday, mostly in Gaza City, where Israeli forces have advanced through the outer suburbs and are now a few kilometers (miles) from the city center. “We continue to damage Hamas’ infrastructure.

Gaza City awoke on Wednesday morning to scenes of devastation and disbelief, after what residents described as one of the heaviest nights of Israeli bombardment in recent weeks.…

REUTERS: The Israeli military moved deeper into Gaza City on Wednesday, with soldiers and tanks pushing into Sheikh Radwan, one of the urban center’s largest and most crowded…