Residents of Gaza City are being subjected to “heavy, relentless” bombardment amid reports that Israel’s military has begun its ground offensive to occupy the northern urban centre.
Two Israeli officials confirmed to a news agency that Israel has launched its ground incursion into Gaza City.
One of the officials said that the ground incursion is going to be “phased and gradual” at the beginning.
In recent days Israel ramped up its bombardment of the city — destroying residential buildings, killing hundreds and displacing tens of thousands to concentration zones in the south.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a social media post that Israeli forces are striking Gaza with “an iron fist.”
He said that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was “striking terror infrastructures” and working to secure “the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”
“Gaza is burning. We will not relent and we will not go back – until the completion of the mission.”
Israel Katz
Christopher Lockyear, the Secretary-General of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), denounced Israel’s intensifying assault on Gaza City, calling on the world to act urgently to secure a ceasefire.
He noted that for many in Gaza City, escape is impossible.They include those who are elderly, critically ill, heavily pregnant, or wounded. He said that people left behind have been “handed a death sentence,” while those who flee are doing so under intensifying bombardment.
“Those who survive the journey will reach overcrowded areas in central and southern Gaza where they will find neither safety nor the basics they need to exist. A population pushed to the brink by almost two years of extreme brutality faces catastrophe.
“What is happening in Gaza is not just a humanitarian catastrophe, it is the systematic destruction of a people. MSF is clear: Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and doing so with absolute impunity.”
Christopher Lockyear
According to UN figures, about 1 million Palestinians were living in Gaza City before Israel began levelling high rises and ordering residents to flee south last month.
Stephane Dujjaric, the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters in New York that over the past few days alone, humanitarian groups on the ground have counted almost 70,000 people heading south, primarily to Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis.
“In the past month, partners observed about 150,000 movements from north to south. People are fleeing using the Al Rashid Road, which is the only route available for movement to the south and is extremely congested, to say the least.”
Stephane Dujjaric
The Israeli military, meanwhile, has claimed that more than 320,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City, including 20,000 overnight on Monday.
Protest Against Israel’s Ground Offensive On Gaza City
Meanwhile, family members and supporters of Israeli captives gathered outside Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence to protest Israel’s ground offensive on Gaza, which they say endangers the lives of their loved ones.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in an earlier post that the families of the hostages are receiving with deep concern reports of the major military operation launched in Gaza City.
“Many living hostages are in Gaza City. Prime Minister Netanyahu is deliberately choosing to sacrifice them for political considerations, completely disregarding the assessments of the Chief of Staff and security establishment.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum
A military analyst warned that an Israeli ground offensive in Gaza City could endanger any kind of long-term stability in the besieged enclave and jeopardize the lives of Israeli hostages still held there by Hamas.
Speaking hours before Israel’s ground offensive was confirmed, retired US Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton told a news agency that it would be a “miracle” if the hostages survived the operation.
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