Israeli troops spotted in Gaza City, eyewitnesses say

Palestinian eyewitnesses have reported seeing Israeli soldiers in Gaza City, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans for the military to capture the metropolis home to 1 million.

Troops were spotted in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood, mainly near a building that used to house a school, according to the reports.

When asked for comment, the Israeli military said it did not disclose information on the positions of its soldiers.

Israel's plans to occupy Gaza City, where famine was officially declared on Friday, have sparked fears of further suffering for the civilian population which has had to endure almost two years of war.

Israel has said it plans to relocate the city's roughly 1 million inhabitants ahead of the offensive, which was expected to begin in September at the earliest. However, Israeli soldiers have already advanced into the outskirts of the coastal city.

Israeli ground troops have been previously deployed to Sabra during the war, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023.