More than 60 Palestinians have been killed in the latest round of Israeli attacks on northern Gaza, sending thousands more fleeing in terror in the deadliest assault on the enclave in five years.
Sunday's bloody toll prompted urgent efforts by the International Committee of the Red Cross to broker a temporary ceasefire to allow paramedics to evacuate the dead and wounded in a deal accepted by both sides.
Inside the ravaged neighbourhood, there were hellish scenes of carnage and chaos as a convoy of ambulances rushed in to make the most of the calm.
But it lasted less than an hour, with Israel accusing Hamas militants of firing in violation of the agreement, and saying its forces were "responding accordingly".
As the death toll in Gaza passed 410, UN chief Ban Ki-moon headed to the region to add his weight to truce efforts and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was to hold talks in Qatar with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal.
So far, truce efforts have been rejected by the Islamist Hamas movement, which is the dominant power in Gaza.
Undaunted by the Israeli bombardment by land, sea and air, it has pressed on with its own assaults which killed another two Israeli soldiers overnight, the army said.
As Israel's blistering offensive on Shejaiya showed no sign of easing, thousands could be seen fleeing for their lives after heavy shelling left casualties lying in the streets.
Footage from the area showed vast clouds of black smoke billowing into the sky as the shelling continued and Gaza's eastern flank burned.
Ambulances were unable to reach much of the area along the border with Israel because of heavy fire.
But as the ceasefire got under way, a convoy of ambulances entered, with medics seen picking up at least three dead bodies.
The blackened shells of cars littered the streets along with the burnt-out wreckage of an ambulance, as smoke poured from areas that were still burning.
At least four men carrying machine-guns could be seen among the people evacuating the area, some of them masked.
Among the dead were women and children, as well as a Palestinian paramedic and a cameraman who were killed when the ambulance they were in was hit, with the ongoing fire hampering efforts to recover the bodies.
"He wasn't a fighter, he was a fighter for humanity," wailed one relative as the family buried him.
"He was an ambulance worker, did he deserve to die?"
At Gaza City's Shifa hospital, casualties were being brought in by the minute, some in ambulances, others in cars and trucks.
Among them were many children screaming in agony, some peppered with shrapnel wounds.
"This is the worst I've ever seen it," said Doctor Said Hassan, who has worked at the hospital for eight years.
Fights broke out in the emergency room as hysterical parents banged on the walls in fear and sorrow.
"The shelling was non-stop, it was everywhere," Sabah Mamluk, 40, told AFP.
"We ran into the streets and started to walk. It was terrifying," she said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army confirmed a total of four soldiers had been killed on Saturday, among them two who died in a militant raid inside Israel, another who was killed by an anti-tank missile while the fourth died in a firefight.
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