A constant stream of Palestinians fled in tractors, carts and overloaded vans down a coastal road in the central Gaza Strip, the latest mass displacement as Israel intensified its assault on the territory's main city.

Those escaping the offensive on Gaza City left behind them a scene of utter devastation, where smoke from the aftermath of Israeli strikes wafted behind buildings that had already been reduced to rubble.

The United Nations estimates that nearly a million people live in Gaza City and its surroundings -- the Palestinian territory's largest urban centre which the Israeli military is gearing up to seize.

The army on Tuesday told all residents to leave immediately and head southwards, saying it would act with "great force" in the city.

"We were forcibly displaced to the southe

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