Thousands of Palestinians have begun fleeing Gaza City as Israel announced the commencement of the first stages of its military assault in the densely populated enclave.
Israeli officials stated that the initial operations targeted strategic locations linked to Hamas and other armed groups, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.
Civilians crowded roads and sought refuge in safer areas, with reports of families carrying belongings on foot amid fears of expanding strikes. Humanitarian organisations have expressed concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation, warning of shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.
At least 81 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli attacks and starvation since dawn on Thursday, the enclave’s largest urban centre where nearly a million people remain trapped in perilous conditions.
Three Palestinians also starved to death on Wednesday, bringing the total hunger-related deaths to 269, including 112 children, according to health officials in Gaza, reports agencies.
The Israeli military said it has already launched “preliminary actions” for the offensive, with troops positioned on the city’s outskirts and operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas to lay the groundwork. Defence Minister Israel Katz approved the plan on Tuesday, which is expected to go before the security cabinet later this week.
About 60,000 reservists will be called up from early September to free active-duty personnel for the operation. Brigadier General Effie Defrin, spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said Hamas had been “battered and bruised” after 22 months of war and vowed to “deepen the damage” to its infrastructure above and below ground.
Two brigades are now deployed in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, where a weapons-filled tunnel was recently discovered, and a third is operating in Jabalia, Defrin said. He added that civilians would be warned to evacuate to minimise casualties.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City are expected to be ordered southward, prompting fears of yet another wave of mass displacement. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric warned that the offensive would “create another mass displacement of people who’ve been displaced repeatedly” since the war began.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Israel’s plan “can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war.” The International Committee of the Red Cross also cautioned that intensified hostilities and further displacement would “worsen an already catastrophic situation” for Gaza’s 2.1 million residents.