Has Israel Begun Its Plan to Occupy Gaza City?

Gaza (Quds News Network)- Israeli forces have carried out a days-long intensive assault on Zeitoun, one of Gaza City’s largest neighbourhoods, destroying more than 300 homes in the past three days, according to reports citing Gaza’s Civil Defence.

The neighbourhood has faced continuous bombardment and demolitions since Tuesday.

Civil Defence officials said entire families were killed when their homes were blown up without warning using high-explosive bombs that also levelled surrounding buildings.

They added that rescue crews have been blocked from reaching the wounded or recovering bodies, worsening the humanitarian situation.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence, stated on Wednesday:

“A catastrophic reality is unfolding in Gaza City. The city is under intense and relentless Israeli bombardment. High-rise buildings are being targeted, even though civilians remain inside.”

Israel’s security cabinet last week approved plans to seize Gaza City and forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to concentration zones, despite international condemnation from the United Nations and states.

The plan reportedly involves forcing around one million residents southwards before surrounding the city and launching incursions into residential areas, followed by an expansion into refugee camps in central Gaza.

However, earlier Wednesday, the military said its chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, had signed off on the “main framework” for the operational plan during a meeting with top commanders, Shin Bet representatives and senior officers.

Speaking to some of Gaza City residents, Ahmed Dawood, a resident of Tel al-Hawa, told Quds News Network that people in the area have been hearing repeatedly the Israeli tanks moving and approaching.

“Heavy Israeli bombardment, drones constantly hovering, tanks shelling, and homes being blown up in the Zeitoun neighborhood — this is what our nights have become,” he said.

Marah Abu Shaban, a resident of the Sheikh Redwan neighborhood, said that Israel’s occupation plans for Gaza City have begun in recent days, citing the intense and continuous fire belts heard in the Zeitoun neighborhood over the past days.

“Two days ago, I saw more than 10 F-16 jets returning to the east of Gaza after heavily attacking the neighborhood. We heard the sounds and felt the destruction.”

Mohammed Haniya, a journalist from Gaza, reported, “Israeli tanks are now advancing in the Zeitoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City. This comes after days of intense air and artillery strikes targeting the Zeitoun and Sabra areas. We warned you—the ground invasion of Gaza began days ago, even as the occupation tries to divert attention.”

Already displaced Palestinians are pleading for global intervention: “Where are we supposed to go?”

Residents told Quds News Network that Israeli forces appeared to be in the preparatory stage of the expanded invasion, hitting multiple neighbourhoods overnight.

“Explosions [were] clearly heard from the eastern part of Gaza City, particularly near the Zeitoun neighbourhood and surrounding areas as far as the Sabra neighbourhood,” Entisar Abu Sada said.