Hundreds of thousands of people still live in Gaza City. Daytime lulls were in place to supply them. The Israeli army has now ended this – we are in the initial phase of the offensive.

The Israeli leadership is pushing ahead with its planned takeover of Gaza City: According to the Israeli army, the daily"tactical ceasefire" from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., which has been in effect since the end of July, has been lifted. This will turn the city into a"dangerous combat zone," the army added.

The announced offensive is in the initial phase. The military has been preparing to take the city for days. However, this is not yet a call for evacuation. On Wednesday, the army announced that an evacuation of the city was"unavoidable" in view of the impending offensive.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in the city

The daily truce was intended to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people stranded in the northern coastal region. Before the war, approximately 700,000 people lived in Gaza City—how many there currently are is unclear. Many people will have fled initially, but may also have returned because the Israeli army has captured large parts of the Gaza Strip.

It is unclear whether international organizations will continue their aid operations in Gaza City now that Israeli military operations are permitted during the day. While the army has stated that it will continue to support humanitarian efforts in parallel with"offensive operations against terrorist organizations," it remains questionable whether aid organizations will take the risk to their staff.

Military suspects network of Hamas tunnels

Israel has already mobilized tens of thousands of reservists. Military operations in urban areas are considered particularly complex and dangerous.

Despite numerous military operations, the Israeli leadership still views Gaza as an important safe haven for the terrorist organization Hamas. A network of tunnels reportedly still exists that is used by fighters of the militant Islamist group.

The city also houses some of the coastal region's most important infrastructure and healthcare facilities. The United Nations recently warned that the Gaza Strip could lose half of its hospital bed capacity if the Israeli army captures the city as planned.

Bodies of two hostages found

October 7, 2023 was killed in Kibbutz Beeri.