Israeli jets and tanks battered the eastern and northern edges of Gaza City overnight into Sunday, destroying homes and other buildings as leaders in Jerusalem pledged to press ahead with a planned offensive on the city, residents and officials said.
Explosions thundered for hours around Zeitoun and Shejaia, while tank fire struck houses and roads in the Sabra area. Several buildings were also blown up in Jabalia, in Gaza’s north, residents said.
The Israeli military said its forces had “returned to combat” in Jabalia in recent days to dismantle tunnels and tighten control there, a move it said would allow operations to expand and keep Hamas fighters from re-establishing themselves.
Earlier this month Israel approved a plan to seize Gaza City, which it calls Hamas’ last bastion. The push is not expected for several weeks, leaving a window for Egyptian and Qatari mediators to try to revive ceasefire talks.
Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday vowed to continue the campaign, which has drawn alarm abroad and dissent at home. On Friday he warned Gaza City would be razed unless Hamas accepts Israel’s terms to end the war and releases all remaining hostages.
Fires lit the night sky during the strikes, triggering panic and prompting more families to flee. “No place is safe,” said Mohammad, 40, who has repeatedly moved his wife and three daughters within the city. Others said they would stay regardless. “We are not leaving,” said Aya, 31, citing hunger and lack of money.
Around half of Gaza’s roughly two million people are now in Gaza City. A few thousand more left in recent days, some using carts and rickshaws.
A global hunger monitor on Friday said Gaza City and surrounding districts are officially in famine and warned it will likely spread. Israel rejected the assessment, saying it overlooks measures taken since late July to increase aid flows.
Gaza’s health ministry said eight more people died of malnutrition and starvation on Saturday, bringing such deaths to 281, including 114 children, since the war began. Israel disputes figures from the Hamas-run ministry.
The conflict erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s campaign in Gaza has since killed at least 62,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, the Gaza health ministry says, and has devastated much of the enclave while displacing nearly its entire population.