Israel began a major phase of its ground invasion into Gaza city on Tuesday, expanding its weeks of air, sea and artillery attacks that killed at least 78 Palestinians in the latest barrage.
Residents described the relentless explosions, low-flight jets, and reduced apartment blocks and dropped them to suck tile rubs, but long pillars of evacuated families flowing south and west.
Witnesses said Sabla and Ter al-Hawa are one of the most intense hit regions, with a powerful blast falling a few hundred metres and an entire residential block being collapsed.
Many Palestinians who returned to Gaza city after previous battles were forced to flee again to the overcrowded coastal strip.
Israel assembled the attack as an effort to dismantle Hamas infrastructure and recover prisoners of war, which it was filmed in October 2023. However, it warns that the attacks put people in danger who insist on rescue.
Israeli Katz’s military minister boasted that “Gaza is on fire.”
This escalation follows a famous visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who showed solid diplomatic support for the more difficult line.
This operation also sparked unrest within Israel. Senior military figures and some ministers, especially military staff chief Eyal Zamir, reportedly warned that a complete conquest of the city could put the army and the rest of the prisoners at risk, prompting the pursuit of a deal that would ensure the release of hostages rather than full assault.
In an interview with Israeli media outlet Ynet, opposition leader Yair Lapid lashed out the campaign as “amateur shua shu and sloppy” and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of putting soldiers and prisoners of war without a clear political objective.
After the invasion began, Netanyahu appeared in court on Tuesday, saying, “Have you decided to sacrifice a ‘hostage’ to save him from prison? “I was faced with the question. He was silent.
Humanitarian agencies say that offensives are increasingly narrowing down already catastrophic food, water and medicines. The United Nations and Health Monitoring warns that malnutrition deaths are on the rise amid the dire situation in the “humanitarian” zones of the South.
Israel’s war with Gaza has killed almost 65,000 people and injured more than 165,000 people since October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities. It is believed that thousands more are under the tile rub.