Israeli forces are escalating their attack on Gaza City with massive airstrikes, in one of the most intense phases of the war.

Unlike previous operations, the current offensive relies almost exclusively on airstrikes, leveling apartment buildings and large complexes.

The intensity of the strikes in recent days has created a new wave of displaced civilians. Israel has warned all residents to immediately leave the city in anticipation of a major ground operation.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said some 250,000 people had fled Gaza and moved south, while claiming to have destroyed a high-rise building that Israel said was being used for terrorist attacks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called Gaza Hamas' last major stronghold. However, the plan to seize the city has drawn international condemnation.

The UN warns that intensifying operations in a region where people are starving will plunge civilians into even greater disaster. Gaza City is the largest urban center in the enclave and the historic heart of Palestinian political and social life.

Residents complain that Israeli forces are hitting schools and makeshift shelters, often with only a few minutes' warning. Many families fled their homes at night, heading west.

My brother died in my arms.

We escaped certain death, me, my husband and our three children, says Sally Tafis, a mother who found refuge in the city. My brother died in my arms, after being shot by a drone. We ran in the dark towards the west.

The Israeli military is urging residents to move to southern Gaza. But many families say they cannot afford the cost – which can reach up to $1,100. Hamas, for its part, is urging residents to stay put.

Ruben Khaled, a father of nine, said: The imam in the Friday sermon said that anyone who leaves Gaza is a coward. But why doesn't he tell the Hamas leaders to surrender and release the Israeli hostages so this war can stop? We don't want to leave, but we have no choice.

The Israeli army has not yet invaded the eastern neighborhoods, which have not been hit to date. However, the current operation shows that it may now be aiming to demolish entire areas.

He is not listening to anyone, we must stop him

Diplomatically, Doha has been in the spotlight since an Israeli airstrike killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security guard. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told the BBC that the international community had the Netanyahu problem to deal with.

He listens to no one, no logic, and we must collectively stop him, he stressed, accusing the Israeli prime minister of never having any intention of peace and seeking to reshape the Middle East in his image.

Israel claimed that it targeted terrorist masterminds responsible for the October 7, 2023 attack. Doha, however, stressed that it had no warning and was informed by the US ten minutes after the attack began.

Hamas: 47 bodies in the last 24 hours

The escalation came hours after Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani had dinner with Donald Trump in New York, where he also met with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio is traveling to Israel this weekend ahead of a UN Security Council meeting where France and Britain are expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state.

According to the Hamas health ministry, 47 bodies were transferred to Gaza hospitals in the last 24 hours. Since August 22, when international experts confirmed the famine, at least 142 people have died from starvation and malnutrition, according to the same source. Israel disputes the figures and says it is expanding efforts to get humanitarian aid in.

The military campaign began after Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 dead and 251 hostages. Since then, the death toll in Gaza has risen – according to Hamas's Health Ministry – to 64,803 dead.