GAZA CITY — Israel has launched a long-threatened ground offensive in Gaza City, declaring “Gaza is burning” as residents reported the heaviest bombardment in two years of conflict. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) troops are moving deeper into the city, with numbers expected to rise in the coming days to confront an estimated 3,000 Hamas fighters.
Intense Early Hours
Health officials in Gaza reported at least 40 deaths in the early hours of the assault, mostly in Gaza City. Airstrikes and advancing tanks destroyed multi-storey residential buildings, leaving residents scrambling through rubble to recover victims. Abu Mohammed Hamed said several relatives were injured or killed, with one cousin trapped under concrete since 3 a.m.
Civilians Flee Amid Destruction
Israel has renewed calls for civilians to evacuate. Long columns of Palestinians are moving south and west using donkey carts, rickshaws, vehicles, and on foot.
“They are destroying residential towers, the pillars of the city, mosques, schools and roads,” said 70-year-old Abu Tamer. “They are wiping out our memories.”
Many, however, remain in place, citing poverty or lack of safe destinations.
“It is like escaping from death toward death, so we are not leaving,” said Um Mohammad, a resident in Sabra.
Humanitarian Concerns
Around 350,000 people are reported to have fled Gaza City so far, with nearly twice as many remaining. International aid groups and the U.N. have denounced the tactics as mass forced displacement, warning of inadequate food, medical care, and shelter. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported three more deaths from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 428 in recent months.
International Reactions and Military Warnings
Israel’s offensive has defied warnings from European leaders and some Israeli military commanders, who have raised concerns over risks to remaining hostages and troops. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated Washington’s conditional support. Meanwhile, a U.N. Commission of Inquiry recently accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, claims Israel labeled “scandalous” and “fake.”
Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir reportedly advised Prime Minister Netanyahu to pursue a cease-fire. Families of hostages gathered outside Netanyahu’s home, urging an end to hostilities.
Conflict Context
The ongoing war traces back to a Hamas incursion into Israel in October 2023, which caused approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports nearly 65,000 Palestinian fatalities, mostly women and children, since the start of Israel’s offensive.
