Israeli forces pushed deeper into Gaza City on Wednesday in what military officials called a major new phase of their ground offensive, defying mounting international condemnation and sparking mass evacuations from the war-torn enclave. The Israel Defense Forces said air and artillery units struck more than 150 targets in recent days to support advancing troops.
The military said its aim was to "dismantle military structures" used by Hamas and announced that a new evacuation route had been opened along Salah al-Din Street to allow residents to flee. An estimated 350,000 Palestinians have already left Gaza City, roughly a third of the prewar population, according to Israeli estimates. But hundreds of thousands remain, with many displaced multiple times and unsure where safety lies.
Hospital officials said overnight strikes killed at least 45 people, including children, and injured dozens more. Gaza's Health Ministry said the death toll since the war began in October 2023 is approaching 65,000, with women and children making up about half the dead. The ministry does not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties, but its figures are widely cited by U.N. agencies.
Palestinian residents described scenes of desperation. "Better to die here, weeping in Gaza, than to wander in exile," said Ahmed Helles, 54, a father of eight sitting near the ruins of his home. "That is exactly what the occupation wants - to erase this city... I will not give them that victory."
Al-Rantisi Children's Hospital in Gaza City was hit three times Tuesday, said Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, Director General of the Health Ministry. Roughly half of the hospital's 80 patients were forced to flee. The ministry said 40 patients, including four in intensive care and eight premature babies, remained inside with 30 staff members.
International pressure on Israel intensified after a U.N. Commission of Inquiry concluded Tuesday that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Israel rejected the report as "scandalous" and "fake." A coalition of more than 20 aid groups, including Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council, called for urgent action, stating: "What we are witnessing in Gaza is not only an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, but what the U.N. Commission of Inquiry has now concluded is a genocide... States must use every available political, economic, and legal tool at their disposal to intervene."
Regional governments also escalated their criticism. Saudi Arabia condemned the offensive "in the strongest terms" and urged the U.N. Security Council to intervene. Qatar called the operation a continuation of Israel's "war of genocide" and expressed outrage over a strike last week that killed five Hamas members and a local security official.
Israeli officials say the goal is to take full control of Gaza City and eliminate what they estimate to be 2,000 to 3,000 remaining Hamas fighters. Hamas has largely shifted to guerrilla tactics, relying on tunnels and small-unit ambushes.
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 251 hostages. Fewer than half of the remaining 48 hostages are believed to be alive.
