Gaza City — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have initiated a large-scale ground offensive into Gaza City, marking a pivotal and highly contentious phase in the months-long conflict between Israel and Hamas. The incursion follows weeks of sustained aerial bombardment and a heavy military buildup near the northern edge of the Gaza Strip.
While Israeli officials describe the operation as a necessary step to dismantle Hamas’s military infrastructure and recover hostages, humanitarian agencies warn of catastrophic consequences for Gaza’s civilian population. International reactions have been swift and divided, reflecting deep geopolitical tensions over the conflict’s scale, legality, and human toll.
A New Phase of Urban Warfare
According to Israeli military sources, the ground operation involves at least two full divisions of combat troops supported by tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, and close coordination with air and naval units. The offensive is focused on Gaza City , a densely populated urban center and a strategic stronghold for Hamas.
The IDF stated that the goal is to “neutralize Hamas's command structure,” targeting what they describe as a network of tunnels, weapons caches, and command centers embedded within civilian infrastructure.
"We are operating with precision and restraint, but we are committed to eliminating the threat Hamas poses to our citizens,” said IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Daniel Regev in a press briefing. “Our forces have entered the city with clear objectives, and we are taking measures to minimize harm to civilians.”
Despite these assurances, footage emerging from the ground shows extensive destruction across key neighborhoods, raising questions about the feasibility of surgical operations in one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Civilians Trapped in the Crossfire
The humanitarian fallout of the offensive has been swift and severe. While the Israeli military has opened a temporary evacuation route , a humanitarian corridor along Salah al-Din Street many civilians remain trapped in the conflict zone. The IDF has disseminated warnings through multiple channels, including leaflets, text messages, loudspeaker announcements, and recorded calls, urging civilians to evacuate to southern areas of Gaza.
However, the effectiveness of these evacuation efforts is in doubt. Human rights groups and UN agencies report that hundreds of thousands of people remain in Gaza City, unable or unwilling to leave due to a range of complex factors: limited transportation options, fuel shortages, insecurity along the evacuation routes, and severe overcrowding in the south.
“The notion of safe zones in Gaza is becoming increasingly meaningless,” said a spokesperson for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). “There is no safe place left, and the south is already overwhelmed with displaced families.”
A Humanitarian Catastrophe Unfolding
Conditions across Gaza have continued to deteriorate rapidly. Food supplies are running dangerously low, access to clean water is increasingly scarce, and hospitals are struggling to function due to fuel shortages and damage from airstrikes. Several major health facilities in the north have been forced to shut down entirely.
The World Health Organization and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have called for immediate humanitarian pauses to allow for aid delivery and the safe evacuation of the wounded. However, aid convoys remain largely restricted due to ongoing hostilities, closed borders, and bureaucratic delays.
The World Food Programme has warned that parts of Gaza are already experiencing “full-blown famine conditions,” with malnutrition spreading rapidly, particularly among children.
UNICEF has reported that thousands of children are now living without access to clean water or medical care, with increasing cases of disease outbreaks in overcrowded shelters and displacement camps.
Hostages and Military Objectives
Central to Israel’s justification for the offensive is the ongoing effort to locate and free hostages captured during earlier stages of the conflict. While the exact number remains unclear, Israeli intelligence estimates that dozens of hostages including both military personnel and civilians may still be held in underground tunnels beneath Gaza City.
According to military analysts, the complex urban environment of Gaza makes hostage rescue operations exceedingly difficult. Hamas has reportedly embedded many of its operations deep within residential areas, using both human shields and a sophisticated tunnel network to evade detection and drone surveillance.
“The military objectives are clear, but achieving them in such a dense urban environment without incurring massive civilian casualties is nearly impossible,” said Michael Herzog, a retired Israeli general now serving as a defense policy analyst. “Urban warfare in Gaza is a worst-case scenario for both sides.”
International Legal and Political Ramifications
The offensive coincides with escalating legal pressure on Israel from the international community. Just hours before the ground incursion began, a UN-commissioned panel released a report accusing Israel of committing acts that could amount to genocide under international law. The report, based on months of investigation and interviews with witnesses, has intensified calls for accountability and sparked a fierce backlash from Israeli leaders.
Israel has rejected the report outright, calling it biased and politically motivated. Prime Minister Eli Cohen dismissed the findings as “an absurd distortion of reality,” arguing that Israel is acting in legitimate self-defense in accordance with international law.
“The true war crime is the use of civilians as shields by Hamas,” Cohen stated in a televised address. “Israel does not seek war, but we will not allow terrorists to operate with impunity.”
Reactions from the international community have been mixed. The United States has continued to affirm Israel’s right to defend itself, while urging proportionality and increased humanitarian access. Meanwhile, countries such as France, South Africa, and Brazil have called for an immediate ceasefire and an independent investigation into potential war crimes on both sides.
A Region on the Brink
The escalation in Gaza has also raised fears of a wider regional conflagration. Tensions along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon have continued to simmer, with Hezbollah reportedly increasing its presence near disputed areas. Meanwhile, Iran has issued stark warnings, condemning the Israeli offensive and hinting at the possibility of broader retaliation if the humanitarian crisis worsens.
Jordan and Egypt, key regional actors with peace treaties with Israel, have also expressed alarm. Both governments have publicly criticized the scale of the offensive and warned of the destabilizing impact on neighboring populations, particularly with refugee flows already straining regional capacities.
Diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire or at least a humanitarian pause are ongoing, but have so far failed to yield results. Qatar, Egypt, and the United Nations have all attempted to mediate behind the scenes, though little progress has been made.
Looking Ahead
As the situation on the ground continues to evolve, the cost of the conflict in human lives, infrastructure, and regional stability is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. With Gaza City now at the center of an intense ground assault, the next phase of the conflict could prove to be the most destructive yet.
What remains unclear is whether either side has a viable path toward de-escalation, or whether the spiraling violence will continue to deepen what many experts already describe as one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century.
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