GAZA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 45 Palestinians were killed on Saturday in Israeli shelling and gunfire across the Gaza Strip, according to the civil defense.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Gaza Civil Defense Authority, told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes on multiple civilian areas, including a popular market, a school, tents sheltering displaced persons, residential buildings, and public gatherings in various parts of the enclave.

Basal said that 37 people, including women and children, were killed in the airstrikes, and dozens more sustained injuries of varying severity. All the wounded were transferred to hospitals for treatment, he added.

Basal added that eight civilians were killed by Israeli gunfire in two separate incidents near U.S. aid distribution points in the southern and central Gaza Strip.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on these incidents.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders to residents of several central Gaza Strip areas, citing preparation for a new ground offensive in response to a rocket launch it intercepted overnight.

"The Israel Defense Forces are operating with extreme force to dismantle the capabilities of terrorist organizations in these areas," Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said, warning residents not to return to what he described as "dangerous combat zones."

Following the announcement, local eyewitnesses said dozens of families were seen evacuating the affected areas in fear of further escalation.

Meanwhile, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a press statement that it had targeted four Israeli engineering excavators with Yasin 105 missiles east of Khan Younis, setting them ablaze.

The group claimed that Israeli soldiers were killed or wounded in the attack, with helicopters arriving to evacuate the casualties.

On March 18, Israel resumed its military operations in the enclave. At least 6,089 Palestinians had been killed and 21,013 others injured since Israel renewed its intensive strikes, bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to 56,412, and injuries to 133,054, Gaza-based health authorities said on Saturday. ■