Israeli forces have escalated their ground offensive in Gaza City, forcing thousands of residents to flee as large swathes of the urban centre face destruction.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Wednesday that 150 air and artillery strikes were conducted ahead of the ground operation, which commenced early Tuesday morning.
Two army divisions are currently advancing towards the city centre, with a third expected to join imminently.
Airstrikes have levelled several apartment blocks situated among tented camps housing displaced civilians.
The IDF claims these buildings were being utilised by Hamas for surveillance purposes. Among the sites targeted was the al-Rantisi children’s hospital.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, half of the hospital’s 80 patients managed to evacuate, while the remainder, including four children in intensive care and eight premature infants, remained inside.
Local hospitals reported that overnight strikes killed 16 people, bringing the Palestinian death toll to approximately 65,000 since the conflict began two years ago.
On Tuesday, a United Nations human rights commission released a report accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
The coastal road leading south from Gaza City has been overwhelmed by families attempting to escape the offensive. In response, the IDF announced the temporary opening of a second evacuation route through central Gaza, available for two days. However, many residents are unlikely to have received the IDF’s alerts due to extensive damage to the region’s telecommunications infrastructure.
Of the estimated one million Palestinians residing in and around Gaza City, the IDF claims 350,000 have fled south in the past month. The United Nations places the figure at 238,000.
Contrary to Israeli assertions, interviews conducted by The Guardian suggest that Hamas has not coerced civilians into remaining in the city. Instead, many residents cite a range of factors preventing their departure, including physical debilitation from prolonged malnutrition, lack of financial means for transport, and the unaffordable cost of shelter in the south.
Concerns persist over the safety of southern Gaza, particularly the so-called “humanitarian zone” in al-Mawasi, which has been repeatedly bombed by Israeli forces. A recent strike on the camp killed a couple and their child.
Senior Israeli security officials, including IDF Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, have reportedly expressed reservations about the offensive, citing its high human cost and the improbability of achieving the stated objective of eliminating Hamas. Intelligence estimates suggest that only a small fraction of Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters, between 2,000 and 3,000, remain in Gaza City, with many likely to regroup elsewhere due to the lack of security screening among fleeing civilians.
Political analysts and commentators within Israel have questioned the underlying motives of the campaign, suggesting it may be aimed at prolonging the state of war to delay elections that could threaten Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition. Others argue the offensive seeks to render Gaza City uninhabitable, thereby pressuring Palestinians to leave and encouraging neighbouring countries to absorb them.
