Israel Pounds Gaza City After Exp

nded Offensive Gets Green Light

Israel launched heavy bombardments on Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, residents reported on Thursday, after the country’s defence ministry authorised an expanded military offensive targeting what it describes as the last remaining Hamas strongholds in the besieged enclave.

The newly approved plan also sanctioned the mobilisation of approximately 60,000 reservists, heightening concerns that the campaign will further worsen Gaza’s already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

“We are not waiting. We have begun the preliminary actions, and already now, IDF troops are holding the outskirts of Gaza City,” the Israeli military announced in a statement.

The move, aimed at broadening Israel’s control of Gaza City, has provoked strong international condemnation and domestic dissent, with fears of spiralling civilian casualties.

The Israeli military confirmed that reservists will begin to be mobilised in early September as part of the wider strategy to expand operations in Gaza.

Offensive Plan

Voices from Gaza

Residents of Gaza City described a night of relentless bombardment and chaos:

• Ahmad al-Shanti, a resident, said:
  “The house shakes with us all night long — the sound of explosions, artillery, warplanes, ambulances, and cries for help is killing us. The sound is getting closer, but where would we go?”
• Amal Abdel-Aal, displaced a week earlier from Al-Sabra neighbourhood, recounted:
  “No one in Gaza has slept — not last night, not for a week. The artillery and air strikes in the east never stop. The sky flashes all night long.”

Gaza’s civil defence agency spokesperson, Mahmud Bassal, confirmed that air strikes and artillery fire targeted the northwest and southeast districts of Gaza City throughout the night.

By Thursday evening, the Israeli military provided details of its recent operations across Gaza, saying manoeuvres and strikes in recent weeks had “created the conditions” for intensifying pressure on Hamas and preparing the ground for the next stage of the campaign.

At the same time, mediators were still awaiting an official Israeli response to the latest ceasefire proposal, already accepted by Hamas earlier this week.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated indirectly for nearly two years, have led to only two temporary ceasefires — during which Israeli hostages were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.

Hostage and Casualty Overview

According to Hamas and Islamic Jihad sources, the latest ceasefire proposal includes:

• Release of 10 hostages and 18 bodies from Gaza in the first phase.
• Release of remaining captives in a second phase, alongside negotiations for a broader settlement.

Mediation has been overseen primarily by Qatar and Egypt, with support from the United States.

Qatar stated the current proposal is “almost identical” to a previous version approved by Israel. Egypt reinforced that “the ball is now in Israel’s court”.

Hamas strongly denounced Israel’s expanded Gaza City offensive, accusing it of sabotaging mediation efforts:

“Today’s announcement by the terrorist occupation army of the start of an operation against Gaza City and its nearly one million residents and displaced persons demonstrates a blatant disregard for the efforts made by mediators.”

Death Toll and Verification Challenges

• Hamas’s 7 October 2023 assault killed 1,219 people in Israel.
• Israel’s ongoing offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, according to figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, deemed reliable by the United Nations.
• Media restrictions and difficulties in accessing many areas of Gaza mean independent verification of casualty figures remains extremely challenging.