Israel begins planned offensive declaring Gaza’s largest city a combat zone

The Israeli army on Friday began a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation, declaring Gaza's largest city a combat zone.

As the military announced the resumption of fighting, health officials said the death toll in Gaza has risen to 63,025, with 59 deaths reported by hospitals over the last 24 hours. Aid groups and a church sheltering people said they would stay in Gaza City, refusing to abandon the hungry and displaced.

The shift comes weeks after Israel first announced plans to widen its offensive in the city, where hundreds of thousands are sheltering while enduring famine.

Israeli authorities claim Gaza City is a Hamas stronghold with a network of tunnels that remains in use despite several previous large-scale raids on the area throughout nearly 23 months of war.

On Friday morning, plumes of smoke and thunderous blasts were seen and heard across the border in southern Israel.

According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel must destroy Hamas's capabilities in the city to prevent a recurrence of the incident that started the conflict on 7 October 2023.

Although aid organisations and UN agencies denounced the offensive, residents of Gaza City lamented that the condemnation had done little to dissuade Israel's resolve.

“The massacres never stopped, even during the humanitarian pauses,” resident Mohamed Aboul Hadi said in a text message from Gaza City.

Some who fled south were putting together tents Friday in the central Gaza Strip, west of the Nuseirat refugee camp.

“We are thrown in the streets like, what would I say? Like dogs? We are not like dogs. Dogs are better than us,” said Mohammed Maarouf, standing in front of a shelter for him and his family of nine.

Death toll surpasses 63,000 - health officials say

More than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war started, the Gaza Health Ministry said Friday. The ministry’s count—63,025—does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.

It also said five people had died from malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours, raising the toll to 322, including 121 children, since the war began.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, staffed by medical professionals, that the UN and independent experts consider to be the most reliable source on the war's casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.

Facing international criticism, Israel instituted what it called “tactical pauses” in Gaza City and two other populated areas last month.

That paused fighting from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time to allow more aid to get through, though aid groups have said deliveries remained challenging due to the blockade, looting, and Israeli restrictions.

On Friday, the Israeli military changed course, calling up tens of thousands of reservists, signaling the most recent escalation after weeks of preparatory strikes in some of the city’s neighbourhoods.

“We will intensify our strikes until we bring back all the kidnapped hostages and dismantle Hamas,” said Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, who urged Palestinians in Gaza City to flee south, calling evacuation “inevitable.”