Israel launches ground assault on central Gazan city, says charity

Medical aid has been suspended to a city in central Gaza due to an Israeli ground assault there, a charity has said.

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said in a statement the Israeli military had launched a ground invasion of the city of Deir al-Balah this morning.

It said that thousands of displaced people are living in this area, including MAP staff, and the latest orders by Israel "directly endanger vital humanitarian and primary healthcare sites".

It said the "forced displacement orders do not allow for the transport of lifesaving medical equipment or supplies" and this was "further obstructing efforts to provide emergency assistance".

Steve Cutts, MAP's interim CEO, said: "This latest forced displacement order is yet another attack on humanitarian operations and a deliberate attempt to sever the last remaining threads of Gaza's health and aid system.

"MAP now has to suspend critical services we have been providing to the Palestinian population, including a primary health clinic that serves hundreds of civilians every day. With Israel's systematic targeting of health and aid workers, no one is safe.

"Not only are we prevented from carrying out our lifesaving work to support Palestinians, we are also unable to protect our own teams."

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the latest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.