Israeli Offensive in Gaza City Kills 40, Escalates Humanitarian Crisis

Gaza City, August 21, 2025 — Israel’s military intensified its assault on Gaza City, launching air strikes and shelling that killed at least 40 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, according to hospital sources cited by Al Jazeera. The attacks mark the first phase of a controversial plan to seize the enclave’s main urban center, potentially displacing nearly one million people.

In Gaza City’s southern Sabra neighborhood, six people, including four children, were killed in an Israeli strike, a source at al-Ahli Hospital reported. East of Sheikh Radwan, footage showed bodies and wounded victims amid flames and debris. Other strikes targeted areas near Khan Younis, where five were killed by a drone, and north of Rafah, where three died near an aid center. In Jabalia al-Balad, four were killed and ten injured, while five, including two children, died near the Netzarim axis in central Gaza while waiting for aid. The Israeli military’s operation, which includes deploying tanks near Gaza City’s center and calling up 60,000 reservists, has drawn international condemnation for exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. Heavy shelling in densely populated neighborhoods like Sabra and Tuffah has forced thousands to flee, with many describing an impossible choice between staying and risking death or leaving for an uncertain fate. Rabah Abu Elias, a 67-year-old father of seven, told Reuters, “We are facing a bitter situation, to die at home or leave and die somewhere else. Survival is uncertain.” Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, noted the military’s tactic of targeting populated areas to depopulate them, a strategy previously used in Tuffah and Shujayea and now applied in Zeitoun and Sabra. In Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported a strike on a camp for displaced Palestinians near al-Aqsa Hospital, with chaotic scenes of smoke and destruction. “Nowhere is safe,” he said, noting that areas designated as safe by Israel have been repeatedly targeted. The International Committee of the Red Cross warned of worsening conditions, with spokesperson Christian Cardon stating, “Gaza is a closed space where access to healthcare, food, and safe water is dwindling. This is intolerable.” UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini highlighted a sixfold rise in child malnutrition in Gaza City since March, warning that a weakened population faces further displacement. Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported two additional deaths from malnutrition on Thursday, bringing the total to 271, including 112 children. It also recorded 70 deaths and 356 injuries from Israeli fire in the past 24 hours, with many victims still trapped under rubble. Despite a recent Hamas ceasefire proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed forward with the offensive, prompting accusations of pursuing “ethnic cleansing” by Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy. “There’s a Hamas offer on the table, and Israel hasn’t discussed it,” Levy said. “This suggests they’re serious about reconquering Gaza City and pushing people south.” Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands noted military and public opposition within Israel, with generals warning the army is unprepared and public opinion shifting against the nearly two-year war. As the offensive continues, the risk of further civilian casualties and displacement looms large, with no clear resolution in sight.