Israel declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone,” ending tactical pauses in fighting amid intensified military operations around the enclave’s largest city.
Meanwhile, the US has revoked and denied the visas of members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting in September, during which a group of countries plan to recognize the State of Palestine.
Gaza City Operation
On Friday, the Israeli military announced the end of tactical pauses in military operations in Gaza City, as Israel presses ahead with plans to take over the entire Strip, starting with the enclave’s largest urban hub.
“The local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” it said in a statement.
In late July, Israel announced daily tactical pauses in military activity in Muwasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City and new aid corridors for the safe movement of UN convoys amid international outcry over the widespread starvation.
In the same context, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said that the army has begun the initial stages of the attack on Gaza City, striking with great intensity in the city’s outskirts.
“We will intensify our strikes and will not hesitate until we bring back all the hostages and dismantle Hamas militarily and politically,” he said.
Intense Fighting
The Israeli military intensified its bombardment of Gaza City early on Saturday, as Israeli media reported that one Israeli soldier had been killed and at least 11 others seriously injured in combat.
The Israeli army is also searching for 4 missing soldiers, as reports claimed that Israeli troops were ambushed by Hamas fighters in the Zeitoun neighborhood, reported Al-Qahera News.
This comes as the spokesman of Hamas’s Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, said that Israel’s plans to occupy Gaza will be a “disaster for its political and military leadership”.
“This will increase the chances of capturing new soldiers. Our fighters are in a state of alert, preparedness and high morale,” he warned.
Expanding Gaza Offensive
Last week, Israel approved a plan for the full takeover of Gaza City – shelter to around one million Palestinian. It called up nearly 60,000 reservists for this operation.
The Israeli military also announced it would start relocating Gaza residents to the south of the enclave and intensified its operations in the outskirts of Gaza City, including Zeitoun neighborhood.
On Thursday, Israeli drones dropped leaflets over several areas in and around Gaza City, warning people to leave Gaza City and Jabalya, according to CNN.
“To everyone in Gaza City and Jabalya area, as you were previously warned, the Israeli army is expanding its operations towards the West. For your safety, evacuate immediately south from Wadi Gaza,” it said.
UN Concerns
Following the Israeli announcement on Friday, the Norwegian Refugee Council, which coordinates a coalition of aid groups in Gaza, said it had not been notified of Israel’s plan to end tactical pauses, while the UN voiced concern over hospitals’ capacity.
“We cannot provide health services to 2 million people besieged in the south,” the spokesperson for Gaza’s Health Ministry, Zaher al-Wahidi, said, as quoted by the Associated Press (AP).
The Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, warned of the “horrific impact” of the Israeli offensive on the people of Gaza.
Similarly, the UN humanitarian agency said in a statement that the operations in Gaza City “will have a horrific impact on people already exhausted, malnourished, bereaved, displaced, and deprived of basics needed for survival.”
Two Hostages’ Remains Recovered
The Israeli military announced on Friday it had recovered the remains of two hostages – one identified as Ilan Weiss and the other remains unidentified. Weiss was in his mid-fifties and was killed in Kibbutz Be’eri on the day of Hamas attack in October 7, 2023.
In the light of this, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said: “We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our hostages home — both the living and the dead.”
Meanwhile, the families of Israeli hostages, who held large-scale protests to demand a ceasefire that would bring the hostages back, said Israeli leaders should prioritize a deal to return both the living and the dead.
“We call on the Israeli government to enter negotiations and stay at the table until every last hostage comes home. Time is running out,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
US Revokes PA Visas
In a separate development, the US State Department has revoked and denied the visas of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and 80 other members of the PA and PLO ahead of the annual high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly next month.
“It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace,” it said in a statement.
In response, the PA denounced the US decision as a “violation of US commitments as the host country of the UN,” urging the State Department to reverse its decision.
The State Department said that representatives assigned to the PA mission at the UN would be granted waivers under the US host country agreement with the UN.
