Post by : Naveen Mittal

At Least 31 Killed in Gaza City as Tanks Advance in Latest Offensive

Heavy shelling and air attacks by Israeli forces have killed at least 31 people in Gaza City, including a pregnant woman and her two children, medical teams report. At the same time, tanks are pushing deeper into the city’s crowded neighborhoods.

Witnesses say several residential buildings were destroyed during the strikes, and many civilians are fleeing as the ground offensive expands. Israel says it is targeting militants, calling Gaza City Hamas’s final stronghold and accusing them of hiding in homes and apartment blocks.

One of the worst moments came when a building collapsed, killing a mother, her daughter, her son, and the unborn child she carried. Her husband, badly injured, underwent emergency surgery and lost a leg.

More than half a million people are believed to have left Gaza City since early September under orders to evacuate to the south. But many are staying put, unable to travel or afraid of danger along evacuation routes. The city remains densely populated, and shelters and aid are stretched thin.

Aid agencies warn of growing humanitarian desperation. Water, food, medical supplies and safe shelters are increasingly hard to find. With more families displaced each day, infrastructure is collapsing under the mounting pressure.

This latest surge in violence comes nearly two years into the war, which has already cost more than 65,000 Palestinian lives, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.

International reactions are mixed. Some countries and activists are calling for pauses in fighting to allow humanitarian aid to reach those trapped. Others stress the need for accountability for civilian deaths.

As tanks advance and bombs fall, many fear that the city’s worst destruction lies ahead. For now, surviving has become the daily struggle for thousands who have nowhere safe to turn.