The forced evacuation of residents in Gaza City has begun following Israeli military approval to seize the city, marking a new phase in Israel’s campaign against Hamas.
Israeli authorities stated that their operation aims to neutralize Hamas strongholds and secure the release of hostages still held in the Palestinian enclave.
Eyewitnesses reported intense airstrikes across Gaza, with Israeli tanks deployed in the Tal al-Hawa and Zeitoun neighborhoods, where homes have been demolished. According to medical and civil protection sources, at least 89 Palestinians, including numerous children, were killed in the bombings or by Israeli fire, including 34 waiting for humanitarian aid and five members of the same family in Khan Younis.
After 22 months of conflict, Israel ordered the capture of Gaza’s main urban center and surrounding refugee camps—some of the most densely populated areas of the enclave—in an effort to destroy what is considered one of Hamas’ last strongholds.
Hamas condemned the escalation, describing multiple “aggressive raids” and calling the Israeli actions a “dangerous intensification” of hostilities. The Israeli military, which controls roughly three-quarters of the Gaza Strip, has been preparing to launch this phase to “free hostages” and “defeat Hamas.”
Families were seen fleeing the city with belongings, using bicycles and carts to transport their possessions. Tanks advanced through southwestern Zeitoun and southern Tal al-Hawa, leveling homes and prompting mass displacement.
Preparatory military moves coincided with reports that a Hamas delegation traveled to Egypt for preliminary talks on a potential ceasefire. Egypt condemned Israeli rhetoric about a “Greater Israel” and requested clarification regarding the rejection of peace options and the ongoing military escalation.
International concern continues over the humanitarian situation, as the United Nations warns of widespread famine affecting over two million Gaza residents. Meanwhile, pressure mounts on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both domestically and internationally, to end the suffering while maintaining the declared objectives of disarming Hamas and securing the release of hostages.
Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas incursion into southern Israel, at least 1,219 Israelis, mostly civilians, have died, while large-scale Israeli operations in Gaza have killed over 61,700 people, predominantly civilians, according to Hamas health ministry data verified by the UN.
Hamas has called for ongoing mass mobilizations against the Israeli offensive, declaring “days of marches and rage” targeting Israeli and American embassies worldwide in the coming days.
