Gaza War | Israel threatens Gaza City with destruction

Israel Katz's message is clear: "If Hamas does not agree to Israel's conditions, the surrender of weapons and the release of the hostages, the gates of hell will open," said Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz in a post on X. "Then the Hamas capital will look like Rafah and Beit Hanoun now." In the two cities captured by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), many buildings were razed to the ground with bulldozers.

Israeli tanks reached the eastern suburbs of Gaza City on Thursday. The advance toward the center of the metropolis with a population of one million continues under cover of airstrikes. This marks the beginning of the attack on the largest settlement in the enclave, long announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ceasefire not in sight

At the beginning of the week, mediators from Egypt and Qatar expressed optimism that a 60-day ceasefire proposed by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff could take effect. The plan, accepted by Hamas on Monday, called for the release of the 20 hostages still alive in the Gaza Strip in two phases. But Netanyahu persisted with preparations to take Gaza City, with 60,000 reservists currently being called up.

Army Chief Eyal Zamir has estimated four months for the capture of Gaza City, but Netanyahu is now demanding an acceleration of the offensive, apparently believing that the images of thousands of dead civilians could further escalate global outrage against Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. Israel would then potentially face sanctions and recognition of Palestinian statehood by other countries.

The United Nations announced on Friday that over 500,000 Palestinians are now starving. Gaza City is now rated at five on the food insecurity scale, the definition of famine. The situation is said to be even more dire further north. Israeli authorities have been denying UN aid convoys access to many areas for months. An evacuation order is now in place for 86 percent of the Gaza Strip.

To avoid alienating US mediator Witkoff and thus the US government, the Israeli prime minister promised, parallel to the advance of the tanks, the start of renewed negotiations on a ceasefire. According to his vision, this could begin after the capture of Gaza City. Like many in Israel's political elite, he viewed Hamas's approval of Witkoff's plan as a sign of weakness. "Hamas only agreed to prevent the loss of its headquarters in Gaza City," Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

Gaza City faces destruction

The expulsion of the 600,000 residents and up to 400,000 refugees surrounding the city, the destruction of the Hamas tunnels, and ultimately the entire city are clearly the goals of the offensive. Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to ending the war only under conditions acceptable to the country. His coalition partners, Bezalel Smotrich and Ben Gvir, are less diplomatic about what this means for them: the expulsion of all Palestinians to an area around "Distribution Station 1," where the US-Israeli "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" distributes food. Current expansions indicate the transformation of the area into a transit station for "voluntary departure" to third countries. However, the euphemism for the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip is no longer even used in Israel. Radical nationalists like the influential settler activist Daniella Weiss speak of the "necessary" expulsion of all Palestinians without compunction. Israeli human rights organizations like Betselem do not shy away from calling the war genocide and demanding an immediate end.

The IDF's actions in Gaza City are similar to the attacks on Rafah and other locations in the Gaza Strip. Even before the capture of Rafah, a ceasefire was within reach, but instead, as is now the case in Gaza City, bombs fell on the refugee camps on the outskirts of the city. Some of the craters are up to four meters deep. The bombs are apparently being dropped at random locations to force people to flee.

Many residents in Gaza City have received text messages or automated voice messages in recent days urging them to flee south. "I'll stay here, even if it costs me my life," says Mohamed Ashour, whose vegetable farm east of the city has been completely destroyed. Like the 55-year-old, many residents apparently want to stay at all costs. "Many of my relatives have already been displaced three times," Ashour tells "nd" over the phone. "Even the so-called safe places were eventually attacked by fighter jets."

Hamas likely sees the Israeli attack on Gaza City as the beginning of the decisive phase of its military resistance. On Wednesday, 15 Hamas fighters attacked Israeli soldiers in the so-called Morag Corridor near Khan Yunis. Several soldiers were injured, and eight attackers escaped despite the massive use of helicopters and drones. Army Chief Eyal Zamir had warned against the attack on Gaza City because of such guerrilla actions. But even he was unable or unwilling to stop the new cycle of violence.