The Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out hundreds of strikes in Gaza City as ground troops prepare for a major offensive to capture the Hamas stronghold.
Israeli fighter jets “struck over 500 targets in Gaza City this week in five main waves,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported Friday evening. The strikes are “part of the military’s preparations for an imminent major ground offensive against Palestinian jihadists of Hamas in the area, the military said on Friday.”
The military “continues its wide-scale strikes on terrorist infrastructure and high-rise structures that had been converted into military infrastructure in Gaza City,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a press release Friday.
The air force carried out multiple waves of strikes, hitting Hamas observation points, jihadi fighters, and terror tunnels during the course of this week. The military described the strikes as being “part of the next stage of Gideon’s Chariots II,” referring to the impending offensive to take over Gaza City.
Hamas’s most combat-ready terrorist fighters are believed to be hiding in the area. According to a recent Israeli intelligence assessment, an estimated 10 out of 20 living hostages are being held in and around the city.
“This week, the IDF completed five waves of strikes in Gaza City,” the statement said. “After the first three waves focused on the Daraj Tuffah and al-Furqan area, the IAF completed two additional waves that expanded to the al-Shati area and further areas in al-Furqan.”
The IDF continued its strikes on Saturday, hitting a high-rise building in Gaza City. Hamas has been using the city’s towers and tall buildings as observation points and command centers.
“A short while ago, [Israeli fighter jets] struck a high-rise building that was used by the Hamas terrorist organization in the area of Gaza City,” the military disclosed on Saturday. “Within the building, Hamas established military infrastructure used to advance and execute terrorist attacks against IDF troops in the area.”
As the IDF prepares for a ground offensive in the area, these elevated positions can be used by Hamas to hit advancing tanks and infantry. “There has been a focus on multi-story buildings that have been converted into terrorist infrastructure,” The Jerusalem Post noted Friday, ahead of the latest strike.
Amid reports that Hamas was threatening Gazans to stay in the city and setting up ambushes to target people leaving for safety, the IDF was doing everything possible to prevent civilian casualties during the airstrikes. The Israeli military took “extensive measures” to “minimize the risk of harming civilians as much as possible,” the IDF statement added.
The Israeli efforts to evacuate Gaza City appear to be bearing fruit, with hundreds of thousands of civilians leaving the Hamas-infested area, Israel’s Ynetnews reported Saturday:
As Israel prepares for a possible ground operation in Gaza City under the ongoing Operation Gideon’s Chariots, more than 250,000 residents have fled the city in recent days, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee said on Saturday, citing military estimates.In an X post, Adraee urged civilians to evacuate via al-Rashid Street to designated humanitarian zones in the al-Mawasi area and the built-up refugee camps in the enclave’s central region. He emphasized that those areas offer significantly better humanitarian conditions, including medical services.“The IDF is determined to defeat Hamas in Gaza City and is expanding its strikes to that end,” Adraee wrote. “Hamas’s attempts to spread falsehoods and prevent your evacuation reflect its willingness to risk your lives for its survival. For your safety, leave now and report any roadblocks set up by Hamas terrorists.”
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