Israeli Offensive on Gaza City Looming: Residents Fear Displacement and Escalating Violence as Netanyahu Approves Military Plan

Tensions escalate in Gaza City as residents brace for potential Israeli offensive, with fears of further displacement and intensifying bombardment mounting.

On Thursday, demonstrators gathered amid the devastated structures of the city to stage a small but determined protest, choosing to remain in their homes despite looming threats of imminent Israeli action. Some appealed directly to US President Donald Trump for intervention.

Protesters waved Palestinian flags and carried signs bearing slogans such as “Stop the Genocide” and “Gaza is Dying.” One Palestinian man addressed the crowd through a microphone, urging the global community to halt the impending conflict and prevent further displacement.

“We call upon the entire world: stop the war, no to displacement,” he said. Addressing President Trump specifically, the man implored him to use his influence to put an end to wars worldwide, starting with the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has claimed countless Palestinian lives over the past two years.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that he would greenlight a military plan aimed at capturing control of Gaza City. The prime minister reportedly expedited the timeline for an initial plan, suggesting that they are now poised to make a decision.

“We are at the stage of decision,” Netanyahu stated in a video address. “Today I visited the Gaza Division to approve the plans presented to me and the Minister of Defense for taking control of Gaza City and defeating Hamas.”

Netanyahu also announced that he had issued instructions to commence negotiations for the release of remaining hostages in Gaza and bring an end to the conflict under terms acceptable to Israel.

The takeover and occupation of Gaza City, which Netanyahu described as one of the last Hamas strongholds, would necessitate the mobilization of an additional 60,000 reserve troops and the extension of service for another 20,000 soldiers, in addition to those already called up.

The decision has sparked growing criticism both domestically and internationally, with concerns that the humanitarian and hunger crisis in Gaza will worsen, and the lives of the remaining hostages may be endangered by an expanded military operation.

Mohammed Hamad, a protester who has already been displaced multiple times, is resolute in his decision to remain in Gaza City.

“If we leave Gaza, we will not return,” he told CNN. “We tell the world no to displacement. We tell the world that we should not leave the city of Gaza because if we leave, it means the final nail in our existence in Gaza.”

Zakaria Bakr, a displaced Palestinian residing in the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, anticipates forced displacement to be carried out under fire.

“They will commit massacres, bomb houses over the heads of their owners to send messages of terror and intimidation to force people to leave,” Bakr told CNN, adding that “at the same time, they will besiege the city of Gaza and prevent food from entering.”

Bakr expressed uncertainty about his own survival should he be forced to leave, expressing fear for what lies ahead.

An Israeli source indicated that the military would give Palestinians approximately two months to evacuate the densely populated area before initiating the assault, setting a deadline of October 7, marking the two-year anniversary of the conflict.

Ahmed Al-Ajla, a 38-year-old lawyer from the Al-Zaitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, expressed concern about where displaced residents would go if forced to leave, as tents are already overcrowded.

The Israeli military has reportedly warned medical officials and international aid organizations in northern Gaza to prepare for mass evacuation, and previously stated its intent to provide Palestinians with tents before relocating them.

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) announced that Israeli authorities are planning to forcibly displace around 800,000 Palestinians to the south of the enclave, potentially disrupting or destroying access to healthcare for the entire population of Gaza City.

Many in Gaza have reported an increase in bombardment on Gaza City in recent days. Ismail Zayda, a Palestinian man residing in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, described the situation as “feeling like the beginning of a new war.”

Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on a displaced people’s camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, caused widespread destruction. Palestinians at the camp said they received phone calls from the Israeli army urging them to evacuate before the camp was struck, but were not warned of the extent of the damage that would ensue.

CNN footage showed the aftermath of the strike on the camp, with smoke billowing from the scene as people fled from the shrapnel. Civil defense forces arrived to find makeshift tents ablaze and piles of destroyed belongings buried beneath the rubble.

“There is nothing left, not one makeshift (tent) or anything, everything we lived with here is gone, we have nothing more to live in,” Waleed Abu Muased, a resident of the camp, told CNN as he surveyed the destruction.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that “in response to Hamas’ barbaric attacks, the IDF is operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities.”

“In stark contrast to Hamas’ intentional attacks on Israeli men, women and children, the IDF follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm,” the IDF added.

Two displaced women, Nisrin and Ranin, sifted through the ruins of what remained of their belongings. The Israeli army reportedly gave residents 30 minutes to evacuate before striking the camp, after which Ranin said she witnessed a “belt of fire” descend upon the camp, destroying it.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres once again called for a ceasefire on Thursday, stating that it would help prevent the widespread death and destruction that an assault on Gaza City would inevitably cause.