Israeli soldiers close in on Gaza City, panic at hospitals where thousands had taken shelter

The Red Cross has warned that the destruction facing hospitals in Gaza has become ‘unbearable’ – warning that the enclave’s entire health care system is on the edge of collapse.

Israel has confirmed that its forces were operating close to Al-Shifa, the biggest hospital in Gaza City – they claim it is the site of the main command centre for Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organisation by the UK.

The Hamas-appointed Gaza health ministry says Israeli tanks have also surrounded two other hospitals – the Rantisi and the Al-Nasr.

Thousands more people have continued to flee the fighting to the south along the Salah Al Deen road – including many who had been sheltering at Al Shifa, where an explosion was reported in the courtyard.

Our foreign affairs correspondent Secunder Kermani  reports, and a warning there are highly distressing images.