Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza City were ordered to evacuate and seek refuge in southern Gaza as Israeli ground operations began in Gaza City. Many civilians had been displaced multiple times in recent months. Israeli military forces described the offensive as the preliminary stage of a broader plan to control the entire city and reported holding the outskirts. In January, international bodies estimated that aerial attacks had destroyed 70–80% of Gaza City. Israeli officials characterized the city as a Hamas stronghold. Hamas accused Israeli leadership of obstructing a ceasefire and said Israel continued a brutal war against civilians.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians who had sheltered in Gaza City were ordered to evacuate and seek refuge in southern Gaza on Thursday morning as Israel began its ground operations in Gaza City. For many, it is not the first time they have been displaced in recent months. The military confirmed media reports that the offensive had begun, calling it the "preliminary" stage of a plan to control the entire city.
"We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City," Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israel's military spokesperson, said. In January, international bodies estimated that aerial attacks had destroyed 70-80% of Gaza City. Defrin said that the city was still a "stronghold" for Hamas, the militant group who the October 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israeli civilians, sparking the current conflict.
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