Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu initiates ground operation in Gaza City, advises civilians to vacate the area

In a significant development, the Israeli government has approved a plan to occupy Gaza City and relocate its residents to the south. The city, currently hosting nearly one million Palestinians, many of whom have been displaced from other parts of the Strip due to the conflict, is set to undergo a major transformation.

The decision comes amidst escalating violence in the region. Israeli aerial attacks on various sectors of the Gaza Strip have left dozens of victims in just a few hours. According to local authorities, the number of deaths in the Gaza Strip has already exceeded 64,000, including around 10,000 people missing under the rubble and 387 people who have died of hunger.

The Israeli army has announced the death of four soldiers in combat in Gaza City, bringing the total of military casualties to 460 since the start of the war in October 2023. The four soldiers killed are Uri Lamed, 20; Gadi Cotal, 20; Amit Arye Regev, 19, and an unnamed soldier.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a warning for the residents of Gaza City to leave immediately due to an impending ground maneuver by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The IDF is organizing and gathering around the city of Gaza, which is interpreted as the initial phase of a broader offensive. The maneuver involves the concentration of troops and military equipment on the outskirts of Gaza City, although details of its scale have not been provided.

Netanyahu stated that Israel is in a war against terrorism, referring to Monday's attack in Jerusalem where six people were killed and a dozen injured. In response, the Israeli army has begun a wave of attacks on multi-story buildings in Gaza, stating that these have become "terrorist infrastructure". Since then, the IDF has requested the evacuation of at least five residential buildings that were subsequently bombed.

Netanyahu expressed that eliminating the terrorists and their supporters and accomplices is not enough, and he directed that they pursue terrorist nests with force. He warned that Israel's attacks on buildings in the city of Gaza are only "a prelude" to the ground operation that the Israeli army is preparing in the Strip.

The city of Gaza currently has habitable territory of barely 14% due to Israeli destruction, with almost half of the structures destroyed, three-quarters of the roads impassable, and most schools, hospitals, and water networks out of service. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs puts the number of displaced people at around 40,000, while Netanyahu claims that approximately 100,000 people have left Gaza City in preparation for the ground offensive.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz explicitly expressed regret for the four fallen soldiers in the city of Gaza and conveyed his deepest sympathy to the deceased and their families. The future of Gaza City and its residents remains uncertain as the conflict continues to escalate.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu initiates ground operation in Gaza City, advises civilians to vacate the area