Post by : Naveen Mittal

Israeli Tanks Push Into Major Gaza City Residential Area

Dozens of Israeli tanks, bulldozers, and armored vehicles have entered the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, marking a new and dangerous phase of Israel’s ground offensive. Eyewitnesses describe the scene as terrifying, with artillery fire, smoke bombs, and loud explosions filling the air. Thick smoke now covers much of the area as families flee in panic.

Sheikh Radwan, once home to tens of thousands of people, is one of Gaza City’s most crowded residential districts. It is also one of the city’s busiest areas, filled with schools, mosques, and markets before the war began. Now, many of its streets lie in ruins.

Heavy Shelling Before the Invasion

Residents said the tank incursion came after a night of heavy airstrikes across the neighborhood. Buildings, solar panels, power generators, and water tanks were destroyed in the bombardment. Even internet connections were targeted, cutting people off from the outside world.

Saad Hamada, a resident who fled south with his family, said: “The drones didn’t leave anything. Life became impossible, and that is what forced most people to leave despite the danger.”

The Strategic Importance of Sheikh Radwan

The neighborhood connects central Gaza City to the north through al-Jalaa Street, a vital road. By seizing control of Sheikh Radwan, Israeli forces could move deeper into the heart of Gaza City and advance toward its central districts.

Locals fear this operation will lead to the destruction of entire neighborhoods, as seen in earlier ground offensives. The sight of tanks rolling through their streets has triggered painful memories of past incursions that left entire areas flattened.

Mass Displacement of Families

The incursion has forced thousands more families to flee south. Long lines of cars and donkey carts loaded with belongings were seen on Salahedin Road, the main route opened by the Israeli army for evacuation.

But the journey is neither safe nor affordable. Many residents said it took hours to reach the south, with some paying hundreds of shekels for scarce transport. Others could not afford to leave and remained trapped in their homes.

The UN estimates that at least 650,000 people are still in Gaza City, despite Israeli orders to evacuate. Many families say they have nowhere to go, as the so-called “humanitarian zone” in the south is already overcrowded.

Aid Agencies Condemn the Offensive

More than 20 international aid agencies, including Save the Children and Oxfam, condemned the assault, calling the humanitarian situation in Gaza “unconscionable.”

The UN has also warned that the expansion of Israel’s offensive will push Palestinians into an “even deeper catastrophe.” The designated safe zone in the south cannot hold the nearly two million people who are being forced to move.

Many families who tried to evacuate to the south said they found no space to pitch tents and were forced to return north. “Every day leaflets are thrown at us ordering evacuation while the army shells buildings in every direction,” said Munir Azzam, who remains in northern Gaza. “But where can we go? We have no refuge.”

Israel’s Justification

Israel says its Gaza City operation is aimed at freeing hostages held by Hamas and defeating what it calls Hamas’s “last stronghold,” with an estimated 3,000 fighters.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it had struck more than 150 targets in two days, including alleged weapons sites. It has also reportedly deployed remote-controlled old vehicles packed with explosives, driven into Hamas positions before being detonated.

Life Under Fire

Residents describe nights of continuous shelling, with no pause for rest. Nidal al-Sherbi, another resident, said: “Last night was extremely difficult, with explosions and shelling that lasted from night until dawn. Israeli vehicles advanced from Sheikh Radwan, Tal al-Hawa, and Shejaiya. It was a very, very frightening night.”

Humanitarian Toll

According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 65,062 people have been killed since the start of the war in October 2023, nearly half of them women and children. In the past 24 hours alone, 98 people were killed and 385 injured.

The ministry also reported that four people died from malnutrition, bringing the total number of famine-related deaths to 154 since the UN declared famine conditions in Gaza City in August.

Background of the War

Israel launched its assault on Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas-led fighters on southern Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages taken. Israel insists its campaign is necessary to destroy Hamas, but critics say the scale of destruction and civilian deaths amounts to collective punishment.

On Tuesday, a UN commission of inquiry accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the report, calling it “distorted and false.”

The Road Ahead

With tanks now in Sheikh Radwan, residents fear the destruction of more neighborhoods and another massive wave of displacement. The humanitarian crisis is deepening, with food shortages, collapsed healthcare, and famine looming.

The people of Gaza City continue to face impossible choices: stay and risk death under bombardment, or leave and face hunger and overcrowding in the south.