Israeli troops and tanks advanced deeper into Gaza City on Wednesday in a widening Gaza City offensive. Strikes knocked out phone and internet services, making it harder for Palestinians to summon ambulances or coordinate evacuations.
The Gaza Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll in the nearly two-year war has surpassed 65,000.
Fierce fighting in Gaza City offensive
The Israeli military said air force and artillery units have carried out more than 150 strikes in the last few days ahead of ground troop advances. The attacks toppled high-rise towers near tent camps. Israel insists the towers were used by Hamas fighters to monitor movements.
But the destruction left tens of thousands of civilians stranded. Overnight strikes killed at least 16 people, including children and women, according to hospital officials.
Health authorities reported 65,062 Palestinians killed and nearly 166,000 wounded since Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
Communications cut during Gaza City offensive
Phone and internet services collapsed Wednesday after Israeli strikes severed northern Gaza’s main network lines. The Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said the blackout hindered calls for help and news updates from Gaza City.
The Israeli military confirmed it was reviewing the damage but denied deliberately targeting public communications.
Before the offensive, around 1 million Palestinians lived in Gaza City. Israel now estimates 350,000 residents have fled south.
Hospitals and families hit by strikes
Officials at Shifa Hospital said an Israeli strike on Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp killed a mother and her child.
In central Gaza, Al-Awda Hospital reported a strike in Nuseirat refugee camp that killed three people, including a pregnant woman. At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, doctors said two parents and their child died when their tent was hit in Muwasi.
The Gaza Health Ministry said multiple Israeli strikes also hit Rantisi Hospital for children, damaging its roof and forcing half of its 80 patients to evacuate. About 40 patients remained, including premature babies and children in intensive care.
“This attack has once again shattered the illusion that hospitals or any place in Gaza are safe,” said Fikr Shalltoot, Gaza director for Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Hamas and international reaction
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad appeared on Al-Jazeera Wednesday, his first public comments since an Israeli strike killed members of the group in Qatar earlier this month. He accused the United States of siding with Israel rather than mediating.
Meanwhile, Qatar condemned Israel’s latest ground offensive as an “extension of the war of genocide.”
More than 20 international aid groups, including Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council, issued a joint appeal urging governments to act decisively to stop the Gaza City offensive. They cited a new U.N. Commission of Inquiry report that accused Israel of committing genocide, an allegation Israel rejects.
Controversial remarks from Israeli minister
Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said Gaza could become a “real estate bonanza” once the war ends. Speaking in Tel Aviv, he claimed a business plan had been submitted to President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We’ve done the demolition phase, now we need to build,” Smotrich said. “It’s much cheaper.”
His remarks sparked outrage, with critics calling them evidence of plans to displace Gaza’s population. Smotrich and allies have called for what they term “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians and the rebuilding of Jewish settlements dismantled in 2005.
Trump has previously suggested Gaza could be transformed into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
What comes next in Gaza
Israel says it aims to fully capture Gaza City this time, after militants regrouped in past raids. Officials insist the offensive targets Hamas infrastructure, not civilians.
But aid agencies warn of famine conditions and mass displacement. With 90% of the population uprooted, thousands fleeing daily, and critical hospitals under fire, the humanitarian crisis is worsening.
As international pressure grows, Israel faces scrutiny not only for its military tactics but also for long-term plans for Gaza’s future.
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