Palestinians Flee Gaza City as Israel Initiates Ground Offensive
Tens of thousands of residents are fleeing Gaza City as Israel launches the first wave of its ground offensive. After intense bombing and artillery, Israeli troops have established a presence on the city’s outskirts, prompting large-scale displacement.
UN Calls for Immediate Ceasefire
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urgently appealed for a ceasefire to prevent "inevitable" civilian deaths and widespread destruction. Speaking at a conference in Tokyo, he warned that a full-scale assault on Gaza City would have devastating consequences.
Military Buildup and Escalation
Israel has called up 60,000 reservists in preparation for its offensive, which Defense Minister Israel Katz has approved. While the official operation is imminent, Israeli forces have already entered neighborhoods like Zeitoun and Jabalia to secure strategic footholds.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emphasized accelerating plans to seize what he described as “Hamas’ last urban stronghold.” In response, Hamas condemned the offensive as a "brutal war against innocent civilians" and decried Israel’s dismissal of a ceasefire proposal. The plan, submitted by regional mediators, includes a 60-day truce and hostage-release measures, though Israel has yet to formally respond.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
People from highly bombarded areas like Zeitoun and Sabra are moving toward northwestern parts of the city. The ICRC warned that the additional displacement and combat risk worsening an already catastrophic situation for Gaza’s 2.1 million residents.
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City.
"It is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza," that was necessary "to avoid the death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause," Guterres said in Japan where he is attending the Tokyo International Conference on African Development.
Israel, which has
called up tens of thousands of army reservists, is pressing ahead with its plan to seize Gaza's biggest urban centre despite international criticism of an operation likely to force the displacement of many more Palestinians. Israel currently holds about 75% of the Gaza Strip.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when gunmen led by Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages including children into Gaza, according to Israeli figures.
Israel's military offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 60,000 Palestinians, according to enclave's health ministry.
Guterres called for the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas. He also urged Israel to reverse a decision to expand "illegal" settlement construction in the West Bank.
The Israeli settlement plan, which would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, was announced last week and received the final go-ahead from a Defence Ministry planning commission on Wednesday.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said the construction would isolate Palestinian communities living in the area and undermine the possibility of a two-state solution.
