Israeli troops and tanks pressed deeper into Gaza City this week, marking a dramatic escalation in a conflict that has already devastated the region and displaced nearly its entire population. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, the Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 65,000 on September 17, 2025, with more than 165,000 wounded since the fighting erupted nearly two years ago. The offensive, launched by Israel on September 16, saw heavy bombardment and a renewed ground assault, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee the city—many with little more than the clothes on their backs.
Israel's military reported that air force and artillery units struck Gaza City over 150 times in recent days, toppling high-rise towers and targeting areas densely packed with makeshift tent camps. These strikes, Israel claims, are aimed at Hamas militants who are said to be using civilian infrastructure to surveil and attack Israeli forces. But the cost to civilians has been catastrophic. Overnight strikes killed at least 16 people, including women and children, hospital officials told the Associated Press. In one tragic instance, a child and his mother died in their apartment in the Shati refugee camp, while three others—including a pregnant woman—were killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
As the operation began, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared, "Gaza is burning," underscoring the scale and intensity of the renewed assault. Israeli officials have not provided a timeline for the offensive, but local media suggest it could drag on for months. The stated aim: to crush Hamas’ remaining military capabilities, which Israeli intelligence estimates now number 2,000 to 3,000 fighters in Gaza City, largely relegated to guerrilla-style attacks and the use of tunnels.
The humanitarian impact has been staggering. The United Nations and aid organizations have described the situation as an "unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe," with famine declared in Gaza City and around 90% of the population displaced. An estimated one million Palestinians lived in the city region before evacuation warnings began, but the Israeli military now estimates that 350,000 have left, many fleeing south via corridors opened by the Israeli army. The U.N. estimates that over 238,000 have fled northern Gaza in the past month alone.
Yet for many, escape is nearly impossible. Ismail Zaydah, a 39-year-old resident who fled his home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, described the desperation: "We fled with nothing but a few pieces of clothing. People are pitching their tents in western Gaza City, and they are sleeping among human waste because there is no place for them to go." Trucks ferrying families south to designated humanitarian zones reportedly charge up to $1,000, a sum far out of reach for most in a city now gripped by starvation.
The crisis deepened further when Israeli strikes hit the Rantisi Hospital for children on September 16, forcing half of the 80 patients to flee. The Gaza Health Ministry posted images of the damaged facility, showing shattered roofs, destroyed water tanks, and debris-filled hallways. About 40 patients, including four children in intensive care and eight premature babies, remained in the hospital with 30 medical workers. Fikr Shalltoot, Gaza director for Medical Aid for Palestinians, condemned the attack, saying, "This attack has once again shattered the illusion that hospitals or any place in Gaza are safe from Israel’s genocide." Israel said it was investigating the incident, but has previously accused Hamas of embedding military infrastructure within civilian sites.
Communication with northern Gaza became nearly impossible after Israeli strikes on the region's main network lines collapsed internet and telephone services on the morning of September 17. The Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, based in the West Bank, said the blackout left many residents cut off from the outside world. The Associated Press was unable to reach numerous contacts in Gaza City, further highlighting the isolation and confusion enveloping the city.
International condemnation of Israel's offensive has intensified. On September 17, a coalition of over 20 aid organizations—including the Norwegian Refugee Council, Anera, and Save the Children—urged the global community to take "decisive action" to halt the violence. Their statement read, "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. Rhetoric and half measures are not enough. This moment demands decisive action."
The U.N. Commission of Inquiry's report, released the same day the ground offensive began, accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza—a charge Israel vehemently denies, calling the report "distorted and false." Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the operation, describing it as an "extension of the war of genocide" against Palestinians. Qatar's anger was particularly acute following an Israeli strike that killed five Hamas members and a local security official the previous week. Despite the condemnation, Arab and Muslim nations at a recent summit stopped short of taking major action against Israel.
Amid the chaos, families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence, pleading for a halt to the offensive. "Netanyahu gave the order to bomb my child," said Anat Angrast, whose son remains captive. "He knows that Matan is in immediate danger due to the Gaza operation, yet he decided to bomb him to death. He is the only one who will decide whether Matan lives or dies." According to the Israeli government, 48 hostages—fewer than half believed to be alive—are still being held in Gaza. Hamas has stated it will only release the remaining captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire, and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have yielded little progress. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Israel and Qatar in mid-September, warning, "There is a very short window of time in which a deal can happen" to end the war. He thanked Qatar for its ongoing mediation efforts but acknowledged that time is running out. The offensive, he suggested, has likely pushed any ceasefire with Hamas farther out of reach.
The war’s origins trace back to October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and abducting 251 others. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has since killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, with women and children comprising about half of the dead, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel’s military, meanwhile, remains committed to its stated goal: controlling the entirety of Gaza except for a large coastal swath by the end of its current operation.
As Gaza City endures another round of devastation, its people are left to navigate a landscape of shattered buildings, scarce food, and dwindling hope. The world watches, but for many trapped within the city’s ruins, the sense of abandonment grows with each passing day.
