Residents of Gaza City were trapped in houses, and bodies lay uncollected in the streets during an intense new Israeli assault on Thursday, even as Washington pushed for a peace deal at talks in Egypt and Qatar. Hamas militants warned that the massive Israeli assault could undermine ongoing efforts to end the conflict just as negotiations neared a critical phase.
Gaza City, home to over a quarter of Gaza’s population before the war, was heavily damaged during the initial weeks of fighting last year. Despite this, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had returned to their homes in the ruins, only to be ordered out again by the Israeli military.
The Gaza health ministry reported individuals trapped and others killed inside their homes in the Tel Al Hawa and Sabra districts, with rescuers unable to reach them. The Civil Emergency Service estimated at least 30 people had been killed in the Tel Al-Hawa and Rimal areas, with bodies remaining unrecovered in the streets.
Despite army instructions on Wednesday allowing residents of Gaza City to use two “safe routes” to head south, many refused to leave. Social media was flooded with the hashtag: “We are not leaving.”
“We will die but not leave to the south. We have tolerated starvation and bombs for nine months, and we are ready to die as martyrs here,” said Mohammad Ali, via text message.
Ali, whose family has moved multiple times within the city, mentioned severe shortages of food, water, and medicine. “The occupation bombs Gaza City as if the war were restarting. We hope there will be a ceasefire soon, but if not, then it’s God’s will.”
Israel initiated its assault on Gaza last year after Hamas militants crossed the border into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports. Since then, over 38,000 people have been killed by Israeli actions, according to Gaza’s medical authorities.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office reported that Israeli forces had withdrawn from the Shejaia suburb after a new military invasion lasting over two weeks, which resulted in dozens of deaths and significant destruction in residential areas.
In Rafah, near the Egyptian border, residents described ongoing destruction as the Israeli army continued demolishing houses in western and central areas amid clashes with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other factions. Palestinian health officials reported four deaths, including a child, due to an Israeli airstrike in Tel Al-Sultan in western Rafah. The Israeli military stated that five rockets fired from Rafah were successfully intercepted on Thursday.
Negotiations in Qatar and Egypt have gained momentum following recent concessions from Hamas, which agreed to initiate a truce and release some hostages without a prior Israeli agreement to end the war. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing opposition within his right-wing cabinet, insists that any deal must allow Israel to resume military action until all objectives are met.
“There will be a meeting today between Hamas and the mediators to check on what responses they have received from the occupation,” said a Palestinian official involved in the mediation efforts, without elaborating further.
