Israel continued its significant military operation in war-torn Gaza City on Tuesday, leading to the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to the UN. Military forces, tanks, and aircraft engaged in combat in Gaza's largest urban area, just before new ceasefire negotiations were set to begin in Qatar. These talks aim to secure the release of hostages and bring an end to the conflict, which has now lasted for ten months.
A knowledgeable source revealed that CIA Director William Burns and Mossad Chief David Barnea of Israel are scheduled to travel to Doha on Wednesday to meet with the Qatari Prime Minister, who is a crucial mediator. Hamas, which initiated the war with its October 7 attack, has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of escalating hostilities in Gaza City and Rafah to obstruct a ceasefire agreement. Hamas's political leader based in Qatar, Ismail Haniyeh, has communicated with mediators, expressing concerns that the ongoing battles could lead to catastrophic outcomes and reset the negotiation process.
The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, described the current fighting in Gaza City as the most intense in months, with militants employing rockets, mortars, and explosives. Israeli forces, after nearly two weeks of combat in the eastern Shujaiya district of Gaza City, intensified their attacks across the city's east, west, and south. Residents reported helicopter strikes and numerous gun battles in the southwest of the city. The Israeli military stated that it is conducting a counterterrorism operation against Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza City, six months after dismantling Hamas's military infrastructure in northern Gaza.
The UN reported that tens of thousands of civilians have been affected by the renewed fighting and the three evacuation orders issued by Israel in Gaza City since June 27. Thousands were seen evacuating along dusty roads, past bombed-out buildings, with some carrying babies and others loading their belongings onto donkey carts. The UN Human Rights Office expressed deep concern over the new evacuation orders for civilians, many of whom have been displaced multiple times, to areas where ongoing military operations continue to cause casualties.
Gaza City residents have been instructed to move south to Deir al Balah, which is already severely overcrowded with displaced Palestinians from other areas of the Gaza Strip. Fighting has also intensified in other parts of the territory, including Nuseirat, Khan Yunis, and Rafah. The Israeli military reported striking several terrorists using a school in Nuseirat as cover. A local hospital received several wounded individuals following an attack on a school managed by the UN agency UNRWA. A previous strike on another school in Nuseirat killed 16 people, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
The war began with Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. The militants captured 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 42 whom the military claims are dead. In response, Israel launched a military offensive that has killed at least 38,193 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry. Qatar has been involved in months of secret negotiations, supported by Egypt and the United States, to achieve a truce and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Hamas recently indicated it might soften its demand for a complete ceasefire, a condition Israel has repeatedly rejected.
Netanyahu's office reiterated that any deal would permit Israel to continue fighting until all war objectives are met, including the dismantling of Hamas. A Palestinian official familiar with the talks disclosed that while a Hamas delegation would engage in indirect talks with Israel, there were several unresolved issues. These include Israel's refusal to release certain Palestinian prisoners serving long sentences and questions about when Israel would withdraw from areas along Gaza's southern border with Egypt.
