GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip— Israel declared Gaza’s largest city a dangerous combat zone and recovered the remains of two hostages on Friday as the army launched the “initial stages” of a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation.
As the military announced the resumption of fighting, health officials said the death toll in Gaza has risen to 63,025, with 59 new deaths reported by hospitals over the last 24 hours. Aid groups and a church sheltering people said they would stay in Gaza City, refusing to abandon the hungry and displaced who depend on them.
The shift comes weeks after Israel first announced plans to widen its offensive in the city, where hundreds of thousands are sheltering while enduring famine. The military has in recent days ramped up strikes in neighborhoods on the city’s outskirts.
Plumes of smoke and thunderous blasts could be seen and heard across the border in southern Israel on Friday morning.
Israel has called Gaza City a Hamas stronghold, alleging that a network of tunnels remain in use by militants after several previous large-scale raids on the area throughout nearly 23 months of war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued that crippling Hamas’ capabilities in the city is critical to shielding Israel from a repeat of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war.
While United Nations agencies and aid groups condemned the offensive’s announced start, people in Gaza City said it made little difference: Strikes already have been intensifying and the aid reaching them was insufficient.
City resident Mohamed Aboul Hadi said it made no difference. “The massacres never stopped, even during the humanitarian pauses,” he said in a text message sent from Gaza City.
More than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war started, the Gaza Health Ministry said Friday. The ministry’s count — 63,025 — does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. It also said five people had died from malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours, raising the toll to 322, including 121 children, since the war began.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.
Some refuse to leave as Gaza City assault begins
Facing international criticism, Israel instituted what it called “tactical pauses” in Gaza City and two other populated areas last month that it said were geared toward letting in more food and aid. The pauses included a daily halt in fighting from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., though aid groups have said deliveries remained challenging due to blockade, looting and Israeli restrictions.
Midday Friday, the military said it had suspended pauses, marking the latest escalation after weeks of preparatory strikes in some of the city’s neighborhoods and calling up tens of thousands of reservists.
“We will intensify our strikes until we bring back all the kidnapped hostages and dismantle Hamas,” Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said.
Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, has for days urged Palestinians in Gaza City to flee south, calling evacuation “inevitable.”
Hundreds of residents began the journey south on Friday, piling their few remaining possessions onto pickup trucks or donkey carts. Many have been forced to leave their homes more than once.
“We cannot find any place in the west nor in the south. Conditions are difficult. Where are we going? We don’t know,” said Saddam Yazigi as he prepared to leave Gaza City.
The U.N. said Thursday that 23,000 people had evacuated over the past week, but many Palestinians in Gaza City question the effort when there is nowhere safe to go.
The Holy Family Church of Gaza City told The Associated Press on Friday that the roughly 440 people sheltering there would remain along with members of the clergy who would assist them.
Farid Jubran said the church had left the decision up to the people even though they had little recourse to insulate themselves from fighting.
