Dozens of Israeli tanks and military vehicles have rolled into the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City, one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the area, marking a major escalation of Israel’s ground offensive.
Video from the scene shows tanks, bulldozers, and armored carriers moving along the edges of the district under heavy cover of artillery fire and smoke. The advance followed a wave of airstrikes that residents say destroyed homes, streets, solar panels, and even basic infrastructure like power generators and water tanks.
Before the war, Sheikh Radwan was a bustling community with schools, mosques, and marketplaces. Today, much of it lies in ruins, and the sight of tanks rolling into the area has sparked panic among those still sheltering in the city.
Families on the Run
The incursion has triggered another mass exodus of families, with thousands fleeing south on foot, in cars, or on donkey carts stacked with belongings. Residents reported long, exhausting journeys along the Salahedin Road, where transport is scarce and prices have soared.
“It became impossible to live here,” said one father, describing how drones struck everything from rooftops to internet towers. “That’s what finally forced us to leave.”
Others, however, said they had nowhere to go. Many who followed evacuation orders to the south found no space left in the designated “humanitarian zone” and returned to Gaza City despite the risks.
Pushing Into the Heart of the City
Control of Sheikh Radwan, which links northern Gaza with central districts through the vital al-Jalaa Street, could give Israeli forces a path deeper into the heart of the city. Witnesses described a night of relentless shelling as tanks advanced from multiple directions, including Tal al-Hawa and Shejaiya.
Residents compared the scenes to previous incursions that flattened entire neighborhoods. “It was terrifying,” said one man. “The explosions didn’t stop until dawn.”
Humanitarian Toll Mounts
The offensive comes as Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens. Aid groups have warned that the so-called safe zones in the south are overcrowded and unable to support the hundreds of thousands of people displaced in recent weeks.
Since the start of the war, tens of thousands have been killed in Israeli strikes, nearly half of them women and children. Hundreds of thousands remain trapped in Gaza City, facing constant bombardment, severe shortages of food and medicine, and the spread of famine.
The UN has warned that further escalation risks pushing civilians “into an even deeper catastrophe.”