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People on the ground and observers state that numerous Israeli tanks and military equipment have advanced into a major civilian area of Gaza City, marking the following day of Israel's ground offensive intended to occupying the region.

Video footage depicts tanks, bulldozers and military transports advancing on the edges of Sheikh Radwan, in the north of Gaza City. Heavy clouds of smoke can be seen as Israeli forces launch artillery shells and obscuring devices to conceal their movement.

The Sheikh Radwan neighborhood was home to many thousands of people before the conflict and is viewed as one of the city's heavily inhabited districts.

Israel asserts that the objective of its Gaza City operation is to free hostages held by Hamas and defeat up to 3,000 militants in what it describes as the group's "final bastion" - but the mission has elicited broad international criticism.

The leaders of more than 20 leading aid groups, including Save the Children and Oxfam, warned that "the brutality of the circumstances in Gaza is unacceptable".

Locals in Sheikh Radwan said that Wednesday's advance followed a series of severe airstrikes targeting structures and key avenues across the area, in what seemed to be preparation for the infantry operation.

"Unmanned aircraft didn't leave anything. They struck solar panels, electricity sources, storage containers, even the internet network," Saad Hamada who fled south with his family previously on Wednesday explained.

"Life turned impossible, and that is what compelled many residents to leave in spite of the peril."

Sheikh Radwan encompasses the areas of Abu Iskandar, al-Tawam, and al-Saftawi, and is crossed by al-Jalaa Street, a vital corridor joining central Gaza City with its north neighborhoods.

Residents believe Israeli occupation of the neighborhood could pave the way for forces to advance further into the city and access its central areas.

The images of tanks in Gaza City's streets have provoked extensive fear among residents, particularly those still residing in the western and downtown sections of the city.

Witnesses said the presence of tanks advancing toward their homes revived memories of previous advances, that concluded with whole neighborhoods being destroyed.

The advance into Sheikh Radwan has resulted in a further wave of displacement, with numerous families of families fleeing to southern areas.

Lengthy columns of cars and carts loaded with possessions were seen on the roads, as the Israeli army established a corridor to the south via the Salahedin Road. People reported journeys lasting hours and costing hundreds of shekels due to the lack of transport and soaring prices.

Before the hostilities, Sheikh Radwan was one of Gaza City's busiest neighborhoods, location to dozens of schools, mosques, and shopping zones.

It had already been hit repeatedly by aerial attacks in previous months, and there is broad destruction, but the sight of tanks inside the area now signifies a significant new stage in Israel's land offensive.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Wednesday morning that it had struck more than 150 locations across Gaza City in two days in support of its soldiers.

As part of its operations, the IDF is also allegedly using old military vehicles filled with explosives that have been altered to be operated remotely. They are being driven to Hamas positions and set off, as reported by Israeli media.

"Last night was extremely difficult, with non-stop explosions and shelling that continued from night until dawn," local Nidal al-Sherbi told.

"Israeli vehicles moved from Sheikh Radwan, Tal al-Hawa, and also from Shejaiya. It was a very, very terrifying night."

Humanitarian organizations, UN agencies and others claim the "humanitarian area" people are instructed to move to is extremely overcrowded and inadequate to accommodate the about two million Palestinians who are expected to crowd into it.

Several who complied with the military's orders to evacuate to the zone claim they found no space to pitch their tents, so they retreated north.

"Daily leaflets are thrown at us ordering evacuation, while the Israeli army shells buildings in every direction," a local inhabitant stated. "But where can we go? We have no safe place in the south."

The IDF announced on Tuesday that about 350,000 people had fled Gaza City, while the UN put the estimate at 190,000 since August. Calculations suggest at least 650,000 stay.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

No fewer than 65,062 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since then, approximately half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

It said on Wednesday that 98 people had been killed and 385 injured by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours. Another four people had died from malnutrition, taking the total number of malnutrition-related deaths since a UN-backed body declared famine in Gaza City in late August to 154, it added.

The UN has cautioned that an increase of the offensive will push civilians into "even deeper catastrophe".

On Tuesday, a UN commission of inquiry said Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel's foreign ministry rejected the report and denounced it as "distorted and false".