ALWAGHT- Israel has launched a long-anticipated ground invasion of Gaza City, where nearly one million Palestinians are resisting efforts to drive them from their homes.
Israel launched its ground offensive on Gaza City under the code name Gideon’s Chariots II, striking more than 150 targets and killing at least 16 Palestinians, including women and children, on the opening night. Heavy bombardments forced thousands to flee south along a single coastal road. Among the sites hit was al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, Gaza’s only specialized pediatric facility, which treats 80 patients, including 12 in critical condition. The attack damaged upper floors of the hospital, prompting many patients and families to flee in fear.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the assault as a decisive strike on what he called Hamas’s “last major stronghold,” even as rights groups and international actors condemned the operation. Gaza officials warned the hospital strike was part of a deliberate strategy to dismantle the enclave’s fragile health system. The escalation came shortly after a US diplomatic visit that reaffirmed Washington’s support for Israel, intensifying anger among Palestinians.
Despite the assault and repeated evacuation orders, Gaza authorities reported that around one million Palestinians in Gaza City and northern Gaza remain in place, rejecting displacement to the south. Many who initially moved belongings southward have returned, citing overcrowding, lack of basic necessities, and continued Israeli strikes in so-called “safe zones.” Local accounts described families unable to find space for shelter and forced back into devastated neighborhoods.
The humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, with Gaza’s southern zones in Khan Yunis and Rafah now hosting 800,000 displaced people under dire conditions. Although Israel labels these areas “humanitarian safe zones,” they have been hit by more than 100 airstrikes, killing at least 2,000 people. Since October 7, 2023, the death toll in Gaza has climbed to nearly 65,000, with more than 165,000 injured. Starvation has also worsened, with 425 deaths from malnutrition, including 145 children, recorded so far.
