Israel Ramps Up Gaza City Offensive as Countries Prepare to Recognize Palestine
The Israeli military has intensified its assault on Gaza City and the wider enclave, bombing areas where civilian population shelters.
Meanwhile, around 10 countries are preparing to formally recognize the State of Palestine ahead of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly on Monday.
Intensified Campaign
As part of a ramped-up campaign to destroy high-rise buildings in Gaza City, the Israeli military launched attacks on Saturday to dismantle underground shafts and booby-trapped structures, leading to the killing of at least 60 Palestinians, reported Reuters.
The Israeli troops, which have begun a ground invasion into the city, are preparing to advance on the central and western parts of the city. Hence, they have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas, where most of Gaza City’s civilian population is taking shelter.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, destroyed vast areas of the enclave, displaced around 90% of its population, and spread famine.
Contradicting Estimates
According to Israeli media, the military has destroyed up to 20 tower blocks in Gaza City over the past two weeks, estimating that over 500,000 people have fled the city since the start of September.
On the other hand, the Palestinian movement Hamas said that fewer than 300,000 Palestinians have left the city, with about 900,000 remaining, including the Israeli hostages. Gaza City is the enclave’s largest urban hub and home to around 1 million Palestinians.
The group also said that the Israeli military has destroyed or damaged more than 1,800 residential buildings in Gaza City since August 11. Additionally, the Israeli forces destroyed more than 13,000 tents sheltering displaced families.
In a warning to Israel, Hamas’ military wing published what it called a “farewell photo” showing the remaining 48 hostages in Gaza, suggesting that their lives are at risk due to Israel’s assault on Gaza City.
Fears of Ethnic Cleansing
On September 5, 2025, Israel started an intensified demolition campaign against high-rise buildings in Gaza City, ahead of its ground incursion into the city. The Israeli military claims that those building were used by Hamas for military purposes – a claim that the Palestinian group denies.
The destruction of those tower blocks, alongside flattening areas in the city’s neighborhoods of Zeitoun, Tuffah, Shejaia and Sheikh al-Radwan, have made hundreds of people homeless, according to Reuters.
This campaign has raised fears of a deliberate effort to permanently clear the population from Gaza City. In the light of this, the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory warned that the destruction of Gaza City “appears to be focused on causing a permanent demographic shift, which is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”
Moreover, an independent inquiry, commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council, concluded on Tuesday that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have incited these acts.
Palestine Recognition
Israel’s offensive in Gaza City came as 10 countries prepare to formally recognize a Palestinian State at the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2025.
These countries include the UK, France, Canada, Australia, Malta, Belgium, Portugal and Luxembourg. The move comes despite strong opposition from the US and Israel.
The Portuguese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that it would recognize a Palestinian State on Sunday. Britain also made a similar announcement, according to BBC. Other states, such as Spain, Ireland and Norway, took the step last year.
Currently, about 147 out of the 193 UN member states recognize the State of Palestine, which holds a non-member observer status at the UN General Assembly since November 2012.
Saudi Arabia’s Diplomatic Push
The recognition of Palestinian Statehood is the product of an intensified diplomatic push spearheaded by Saudi Arabia, in a bid to pave the way for a two-state solution that would bring the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict to an end.
The two-state solution involves the establishment of an independent Palestinian State along the 1967 borders (which includes the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip), with East Jerusalem as its capital, allowing Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side in independent nations.
The Kingdom’s efforts included launching the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in September 2024, in partnership with Norway and the European Union (EU).
It also co-hosted the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, alongside France in July, which will resume on September 22, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UNGA.
