Tanks Move Further into Gaza, Many People Hurt and Trapped

Post by : Monika

The situation in Gaza has taken another serious turn as Israeli tanks pushed deeper into Gaza City, moving into neighborhoods that were once crowded with families, schools, and small businesses. The new ground movement has brought fresh waves of fear and destruction, as health officials and rescue workers report that many people are injured and trapped under rubble.

Tanks Rolling Deeper Into the City

On Sunday, witnesses and medics said that tanks rolled into areas such as Sabra, Tel Al-Hawa, Sheikh Radwan, and Al-Naser. These neighborhoods are well-known in Gaza City and used to be filled with homes, bakeries, and busy streets. Now, many of these areas have become battle zones.

Residents describe the loud sounds of tanks grinding over broken streets, while heavy gunfire and explosions echoed through the city. Families who remain in these neighborhoods say they are hiding in basements, praying they will survive. Some have already lost relatives in the latest strikes.

Many People Trapped and Crying for Help

Health workers say they are getting nonstop phone calls from people begging for help. But in many cases, ambulances cannot reach the injured because tanks and debris block the roads. “We hear voices under the collapsed houses, but we can’t reach them,” one medic explained.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 77 people were killed in the past 24 hours by Israeli strikes and shelling. This adds to the already devastating number of casualties since the conflict began.

Emergency service officials also said that Israel has denied 73 evacuation requests from international aid groups. These requests were for moving badly wounded people out of Gaza City to safer hospitals. Denying such requests has made the situation even worse for the injured, who often die before help can reach them.

Hamas Says It Lost Contact With Hostages

While the fighting inside Gaza continues, the armed wing of Hamas made an unusual announcement. They said they had lost contact with two hostages who were being held somewhere in Gaza City. Hamas claimed that ongoing Israeli strikes and heavy fighting had cut off communication with the group guarding these hostages.

Hamas asked Israel for a 24-hour pause in fighting. They said they needed the break to try to locate and rescue the two hostages. But Israel has not agreed to stop its operations.

Instead, the Israeli army continued to order people to leave certain neighborhoods, especially in the Sabra district. Leaflets were dropped, and text messages were sent to warn residents to move south. The Israeli army also said it was preparing to launch new attacks against Hamas fighters in those areas.

The Larger War: How It Started

This latest round of violence is part of a much longer and bloodier war. The conflict began in October 2023, when Hamas militants launched a surprise attack inside Israel. Hundreds of Israelis were killed, and dozens were taken hostage back into Gaza.

Since then, Israel has carried out a major military campaign in Gaza, saying its main goal is to destroy Hamas. Gaza has faced airstrikes, tank assaults, and blockades for nearly two years now.

The cost in human lives has been shocking. Gaza’s health ministry reports that more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed. Many of these are women and children. Alongside the dead are tens of thousands more who are injured, many losing arms, legs, or eyes in the fighting.

Daily Life in Gaza: A Struggle for Survival

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is now one of the worst in the world. The territory’s 2.3 million people are struggling without clean water, proper medical care, electricity, or enough food. Most hospitals are either destroyed or barely working. Doctors perform surgeries without anesthesia, and patients sometimes die because equipment has no power.

Families have been forced to leave their homes, carrying only what they can on their backs. Many live in tents or crowded shelters. Diseases such as diarrhea and skin infections are spreading among children who don’t have access to clean water. Parents say their biggest worry is not only bombs but also hunger.

The United Nations’ World Food Programme says that about 350,000 to 400,000 people have fled Gaza City in just the past month. Many of them have walked for miles in the heat, carrying children or pushing the elderly in wheelchairs, trying to reach what they hope are safer areas further south.

Israel’s Side of the Story

The Israeli government says its operations are aimed at destroying Hamas military infrastructure. Israel believes Hamas still has fighters hiding in Gaza City, using underground tunnels and civilian areas as shields.

The Israeli army said that in the past 24 hours, it hit 140 military targets. According to them, these included tunnel entrances, weapons storage sites, and houses being used by Hamas fighters.

Israel also says Hamas no longer controls Gaza in the same way it did before. However, fighting continues almost daily, suggesting that Hamas still has significant power and support.

International Reactions

The global community is watching the events in Gaza with growing alarm. Aid agencies and the United Nations have called for a ceasefire or at least safe passages for civilians and medical teams. Many countries say the scale of destruction in Gaza is unacceptable, and they are urging both sides to stop the bloodshed.

At the same time, Israel has strong supporters who believe it has the right to defend itself from Hamas attacks. These supporters argue that Hamas started the war with its October 2023 attack and that Israel cannot stop fighting until Hamas is fully defeated.

This division in international opinion makes it very difficult to reach a peace deal or even a temporary truce.

Families Caught in the Middle

For ordinary families in Gaza, politics and military strategies mean little compared to their daily struggle to stay alive. Parents describe trying to comfort children during nights filled with explosions. Many children wake up screaming from nightmares or refuse to eat because of stress.

Some families have lost multiple members in a single airstrike. One resident said: “I lost my brother, his wife, and all three of their children. They were at home when the missile hit. Now, we can’t even find all their bodies.”

Others talk about being forced to leave homes that their families had lived in for generations. They pack into overcrowded schools or makeshift tents, where basic needs like toilets and clean water are missing.

The Hostage Issue

The question of hostages remains central to this war. Hamas is still believed to hold some hostages taken in 2023, though the exact number is unclear. Israel insists that rescuing its citizens is a priority. The recent announcement by Hamas that it lost contact with two hostages only adds more uncertainty and worry.

Families of hostages in Israel continue to pressure their government to negotiate or act quickly to bring their loved ones back. They say that time is running out for those still trapped in Gaza.

The Road Ahead

As tanks push deeper into Gaza City, it seems the fighting will only intensify. Israel is determined to keep up its military operations, while Hamas vows to resist as long as it can. Meanwhile, ordinary civilians are the ones paying the heaviest price.

Human rights groups warn that if no truce is reached soon, Gaza could face an even larger humanitarian disaster. Food shortages are becoming extreme, and medical supplies are nearly gone. Winter is approaching, which means people living in tents or damaged buildings will soon face cold weather without proper shelter.

The war shows no clear end. Diplomats from the United Nations, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar continue to try for talks, but mistrust on both sides remains high.

For now, the tanks continue to move through Gaza’s broken streets, the bombs continue to fall, and families continue to wait—unsure if tomorrow will bring survival or death.

Gaza, Israel Hamas tanks airstrikes