Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday the army is stepping up its push in and around Gaza City, intensifying operations aimed at taking control of the territory’s largest urban centre.
Over the past week, Israeli airstrikes have destroyed two high-rise buildings in Gaza City. Troops have also expanded ground manners, signalling what appears to be the early stages of a major offensive that Netanyahu’s cabinet approved last month.
“We are deepening the manner on the outskirts of Gaza City and within Gaza City itself,” Netanyahu told ministers at a cabinet meeting, in comments released by his office.
Israel has not formally declared a full-scale assault to capture the city, but Netanyahu said the army is dismantling Hamas’s infrastructure and demolishing what he called “terror towers.” The military claimed the two towers it flattened were being used by Hamas to track Israeli forces, an accusation the group denies.
The fighting has raised concerns over worsening humanitarian conditions for Palestinians. Netanyahu said Israel has created another “humanitarian zone” for civilians to move into, though many remain wary.
On Saturday, Israeli aircraft dropped thousands of leaflets over western Gaza City urging residents to evacuate. Netanyahu said about 100,000 people have already left, accusing Hamas of blocking evacuations and using civilians as “human shields.”
But some residents said leaving is not an option. Mustafa Al-Jamal, a Gaza City resident, told AFP he would not flee south. “Where can we go? We have no money, no tent, no house, no food,” he said, adding that so-called safe zones have been repeatedly bombed.
Meanwhile, protests broke out in Israel, with demonstrators demanding the government halt its plan to seize Gaza City. Many fear the offensive could endanger hostages believed to be held there. “I am mortified by the fact that the Israeli army is conquering Gaza right now, for the hostages, for the soldiers, for the people in Gaza this is a political war,” said Edith, a protester in Jerusalem who withheld her last name.
Israel has urged Hamas to surrender, with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar saying the war could end if hostages were freed and weapons laid down. Hamas rejected the demand, insisting hostages would only be released if Israel withdrew its forces and stopped the war.
