Heavy fighting at border in central Gaza

Heavy fighting is reported along the border in central Gaza, according to Gaza police spokesman Ayman Batniji.

Israeli troops fire tank shells that reached parts of the Bureij and Maghazi refugee camps. There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Clashes also erupt between Palestinian fighters and Israeli troops in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, and the sound of explosions was audible across the town, Batniji says.

Israeli naval vessels meanwhile fired more than 100 shells along the coast of Gaza City and northern Gaza, the spokesman says. Rescue teams were prevented from operating in the area because of the heavy fire, he adds.

— AP