Israel intensifies assault on Gaza City amid humanitarian crisis and displacement of thousands

Gaza City has been designated a high-risk conflict zone by Israeli military forces, as they prepare for an extensive operation following the recovery of one hostage’s body and the remains of another on Friday.

The Israeli government announced an end to temporary ceasefires in Gaza City, which were implemented a month ago due to mounting global concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis and food shortages within the embattled enclave. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously halted military activities for 10 hours each day for “humanitarian purposes.”

However, the Israeli security cabinet’s decision earlier this month to take control of Gaza City included provisions that prohibit aid distribution centers within the city itself, forcing residents to leave in search of sustenance.

Israeli forces have already begun bombarding the outskirts of Gaza City, targeting neighborhoods bordering the densely populated area ahead of a full-scale attack on the city center. These attacks have caused Palestinians to evacuate towards the interior of Gaza City, according to Dr. Munir al-Bursh, Director-General of the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

“Gaza City’s population density has reached 60,000 people per square kilometer,” al-Bursh told CNN.

CNN obtained footage from the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City as residents fled the sound of gunfire. A mother and her three young children could be seen rushing behind a building’s wall to find shelter from the bombardment.

“We escaped the horrors, the scenes of horror films,” one woman said while walking towards a refugee camp.

“Shelling, mortars, rockets, gunfire, as you see,” a child, Ibrahim Dumiati, said of the Israeli attacks. “There are no words to describe the situation. Danger, people dying, shells. We have been displaced and are going to Nuseirat Camp.”

Another resident fleeing the violence, Abu Mahmoud, told CNN that many in the neighborhood lack the resources to escape quickly: “Where can those without shelter go? We don’t have money to move.”

Social media videos showed the aftermath of what appears to be a large strike in Jabalya, a neighborhood on the northern edge of Gaza City.

“The Israeli occupation continues to target residential blocks through airstrikes, quadcopter attacks, and the detonation of explosive robots in neighborhoods,” said Faris Afaneh, director of ambulance and emergency services in northern Gaza. The attacks have resulted in Palestinian casualties, Afaneh stated, and forced people to evacuate during what he called “this massive and unprecedented campaign.”

Afaneh reported multiple Israeli strikes in the neighborhoods surrounding Gaza City.

On Thursday, residents told CNN that drones had been dropping leaflets over several areas in and around Gaza City, advising those living in Gaza City and the Jabalya area to evacuate southward from Wadi Gaza for their safety.

Ismail Zaida inspected a market that was reportedly targeted by recent Israeli attacks. “This once bustling market, filled with thousands of people, is now an empty street,” Zaida told CNN. “The drones are flying overhead, urging people to leave and avoid destruction.”

While some residents have fled, others remain in their damaged homes, resolute not to leave.

“About an hour ago, quadcopters dropped bombs on the squares,” Abu Salah, another resident, said, followed by a round of artillery fire. He told CNN that he is staying put for now but fears more hardships lie ahead. “Last night was a particularly challenging night.”

As of Friday, the death toll in Gaza stands at 63,025 people, with an additional 159,490 injured since the conflict began. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that hospitals continue to record daily deaths due to malnutrition and starvation, many of them children.

On Friday, Israeli military forces also recovered the body of one hostage, identified as Ilan Weiss (56) from Kibbutz Be’eri, and the remains of another hostage are yet to be identified, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Weiss’ wife and daughter, Shiri and Noga, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, and were released during the first ceasefire in November that year. At that time, it was believed that Weiss might still be alive. However, in January 2024, Kibbutz Be’eri announced that Ilan Weiss had been killed during the attack on the community and his body taken into Gaza.

The IDF has not yet disclosed the location where the remains were recovered from.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed a mixture of grief and relief at the recovery of Weiss’s body, stating, “The return of Ilan Weiss provides some comfort to his family after 692 days of waiting in the nightmare of uncertainty.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the recovery as a “moment of deep sorrow, but also of closure,” while Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, “We will not rest or be silent until they all come home.”

After the recovery of the two deceased hostages, 48 hostages remain captive in Gaza, with 20 believed to still be alive.