Palestinians search through the rubble of a building hit by Israel in Gaza City

Palestinians picked up the pieces of their lives on Monday (15 September) in Gaza City, after the Al-Jundi al-Majhoul building was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Sunday.

Israel bombed the high-rise residential tower in the middle of Gaza City, forcing dozens of families who live in the building into displacement. The Israeli military said the building served to hide Hamas infrastructure.

Residents said they were given evacuation orders shortly before the strikes. However, Riad Al-Koudsi said they weren't given much time to leave.

“Around 6:50 (p.m.), they (referring to the Israelis) gave us around half an hour to evacuate, hardly any time... We managed to take what we could of clothes and furniture, then the tower was completely blown up, as you can see,” Al-Koudsi said.

Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have left but hundreds of thousands remain in the area. Hamas has urged people to stay.

Many of those people are reluctant to leave, saying there is not enough space or safety in the south, where Israel has told them to go to what it has designated as a humanitarian zone.

Some say they cannot afford to leave while others say they were hoping the Arab leaders meeting on Monday in Qatar would pressure Israel to scrap its planned offensive.

"The bombardment intensified everywhere and we took down the tents, more than twenty families, we do not know where to go," said Musbah al-Kafarna, who is among the displaced in Gaza City.

Resident Suzan Aanan said she's fed up that no one can stop the war. “It's been two years, next month it will be two years, no one is finding a solution, even the United States is not standing on our side - on screen is different than behind the scenes, what can we do? We only have God to stand with us.”

Israel said it plans to seize the city, where about a million Palestinians have been sheltering, as part of its declared aim of eliminating Hamas, and it has intensified attacks on what it has called the last bastion of the Palestinian group.

Israeli army forces have been operating inside at least four eastern suburbs for weeks, turning most of at least three of them into wastelands. It is closing in on the centre and the western areas of the territory, where most of the displaced people are taking shelter.

According to Palestinian officials on Sunday, Israeli forces have destroyed at least 30 residential buildings in Gaza City and forced thousands of people from their homes.

Tel Aviv said it had completed five waves of air strikes on Gaza City over the past week, targeting more than 500 sites, including Hamas reconnaissance and sniper sites, buildings containing tunnel openings and weapons depots.

Local Gaza officials say at least 45 people were killed by Israeli fire across the Strip on Sunday, most of them in Gaza City. Hamas added that Israeli forces have destroyed at least 1,600 residential buildings and 13,000 tents since 11 August.

The strikes come as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Jerusalem on Monday to discuss the future of the conflict. It's part of a three-day-visit to the country. The two leaders are scheduled to deliver a joint news conference after their meeting. 

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