Witnesses reported heavy bombardment in Gaza City, as Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, said the army was tightening its encirclement of the city. Anyone leaving Gaza City for the south would have to pass through Israeli military checkpoints, he added. In Gaza City, 60-year-old Rabah al-Halabi, sheltering in a tent on the grounds of Al-Shifa Hospital, described relentless explosions. "I will not leave because the situation in Gaza City is no different from the situation in the southern Gaza Strip," he told AFP by telephone. The International Committee of the Red Cross said intensified military operations had forced it to temporarily suspend activities in Gaza City.