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Israeli military forces have expanded their operations into northern Gaza, gaining control of additional territory surrounding the enclave, as confirmed by military officials on Friday. This advance comes shortly after the government revealed plans to capture extensive areas in the south.
Troops operating in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, located east of Gaza City, facilitated the organized evacuation of civilians as they established a broader “security zone” within Gaza, according to military statements.
Social media has been rife with images depicting an Israeli tank positioned on Al Muntar hill in Shuja’iyya, which offers a direct view over Gaza City and the coastline. A local health official reported that artillery shelling on the eastern part of Gaza has been relentless.
Prior to the current operations, hundreds of residents had already fled the area, transporting their belongings on vans and donkey carts a day earlier. This exodus was prompted by the latest series of evacuation warnings affecting nearly one-third of the Gaza Strip, as per United Nations reports.
Israel’s renewed military action began with significant airstrikes on March 18, following a two-month hiatus during which 38 hostages were released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
Attempts to revive mediation efforts spearheaded by Egypt and Qatar appear to have stalled, with a Palestinian official mentioning that “there are currently no contacts,” according to reports.
In a somber scene, a young boy was seen walking amid the rubble left by an Israeli airstrike on the Dar Al-Arqam school the previous day. Over the past fortnight, the United Nations Humanitarian Agency (OCHA) has reported that more than 280,000 individuals have been displaced in Gaza, exacerbating the dire conditions faced by families previously uprooted multiple times over the past year and a half.
40-year-old Hemam Al-Rifi expressed his despair: “I swear to God that I am staying in the street; there is no shelter here.” He recounted that his family members were killed in an airstrike on the school complex where they had sought refuge.
“My house was destroyed at first, and I stayed in a tent in a school, not in a classroom. Now I don’t know where to go,” he lamented.
In Gaza City, locals reported that Israeli strikes had targeted a water desalination plant in the Tuffah neighborhood, a crucial facility for providing clean drinking water. Essential aid supplies have been stalled for weeks.
Over Two-Thirds of Gaza Classified as ‘No-Go’ Zones
On the southern border of Gaza, Israeli forces are consolidating control around the remnants of Rafah. OCHA reports that currently, 65% of Gaza falls into “no-go” zones, either under active evacuation orders or both.
The Israeli government has not disclosed its long-term objectives for the areas it is annexing as a security zone, which extends the existing buffer zone further into Gaza by hundreds of meters.
Residents speculate that this strategy aims at permanently depopulating areas, including some of Gaza’s remaining farmland and vital water infrastructure.
With plans reportedly aligning with U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision expressed in February to relocate the Gaza population into neighboring nations and transform the enclave into a tourist destination under American oversight, suspicions grow about the ongoing military operations.
Israeli officials maintain that they will promote voluntary relocation for Palestinians wishing to leave.
On Friday, Gaza health authorities reported at least 35 Palestinian fatalities, predominantly from southern areas. Among the dead were 19 members of a single family, tragically killed when an airstrike leveled the three-story building they were sheltering in.
The Israeli military claimed responsibility for the death of Mohammed Awad, a senior commander within the Palestinian Mujahideen, asserting that he played a significant role in the hostage events stemming from the series of attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and was likely involved in the deaths of some captives.
While Israel accuses Hamas of utilizing civilian structures to shield militants, the local health authorities report hundreds of Palestinian lives lost since the operations resumed, with Israeli military figures indicating that over 250 of the deceased were armed militants—although evidence for this claim has not been disclosed.
Israeli Strikes Expand to Lebanon and Syria
Israeli officials have indicated that military operations will persist until all 59 hostages still held in Gaza are returned. Conversely, Hamas has stated that it will release the hostages only under terms that ensure a permanent cessation of hostilities.
A spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing remarked that half of the hostages are currently in areas designated for evacuation. “If the enemy cares about the lives of these hostages, it must immediately negotiate their evacuation or release,” he communicated via Telegram.
The breakdown of ceasefire arrangements that previously halted hostilities in January has heightened the potential for renewed conflict, as Israeli forces have engaged targets in both Lebanon and Syria in recent days. An airstrike in the Lebanese city of Sidon reportedly resulted in the death of a senior Hamas operative.
Additionally, Israeli troops have been actively involved in operations within the occupied West Bank, with two Palestinians reportedly killed on Friday.
The ongoing conflict ignited with a Hamas-led assault on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, resulting in 1,200 casualties and the abduction of more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources. In the aftermath, extensive destruction has been reported across Gaza, with local health authorities estimating over 50,000 Palestinian deaths since the escalation began.
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