Explosions lit up the night sky as Israel began the opening phase of its long-anticipated push into Gaza City. Fearful of what’s to come, families in neighborhoods like Zeitoun and Sabra packed what little they could carry and moved north-west, trying to escape the fighting.
Israeli forces have already pushed into the city’s outskirts after days of heavy airstrikes and artillery fire. The military says these operations are laying the groundwork for a full-scale assault aimed at seizing the entire city—home to more than a million people.
Officials have called up tens of thousands of reservists to replace active-duty soldiers, while the government insists it is determined to move quickly to capture what it calls the last remaining strongholds of Hamas.
But the human cost is already mounting. Entire families have been killed in recent strikes, including children. Aid agencies warn that Gaza’s people—who have endured nearly two years of war—are now utterly exhausted. They face repeated displacement, food and water shortages, and little access to medicine or shelter.
The humanitarian crisis is expected to deepen further as hundreds of thousands are likely to be ordered south, even though much of the territory is already overcrowded with displaced people.
At the same time, around 50 hostages remain trapped in Gaza, their fate uncertain. Families fear that a ground invasion could put them in even greater danger.
Calls for a ceasefire are growing louder. A new proposal for a 60-day truce, including the release of roughly half the hostages, has been accepted by Hamas but not yet formally answered by Israel. Leaders in Israel say they now demand a comprehensive deal that covers every hostage.
Meanwhile, world leaders warn that the planned takeover of Gaza City risks spiraling into an even wider conflict. Aid groups stress that what people desperately need is not more bombs, but food, clean water, medicine, and safety.
For now, Gaza’s residents continue to run—families clutching children, elderly people leaning on makeshift crutches, all searching for somewhere that might be safer, even if only for a little while.