Israeli army strikes high-rise towers in Gaza City, urges residents to evacuate southward

CAIRO – 7 September 2025: The Israeli military launched fresh airstrikes on Gaza City over the weekend, targeting multiple high-rise buildings and urging residents to evacuate southward, as ground forces push deeper into the strip’s largest urban center.

On Saturday, the Israeli army bombed a towering high-rise building in Gaza City, claiming it was being used by Hamas, though no evidence was provided to support the allegation.

The strike followed a series of evacuation warnings issued by the army to civilians in specific areas of the city, indicating imminent attacks.

On Friday, another high-rise, also alleged by the army to be used by Hamas, was reduced to rubble.

Gaza authorities’ media office condemned Israel’s systematic targeting of residential towers, labeling the attacks “a war crime” and accused Israel of carrying out mass forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians.

“These attacks reflect a deliberate policy of forced displacement and civilian targeting,” the media office stated.

“Under international law, the occupying power is obligated to prove the presence of a specific military target and to take all possible precautions to avoid or minimize harm to civilians. None of these obligations are being met.”

Striking Gaza City

Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza, launching the second phase of its invasion and airstrikes of Gaza City, home to nearly half of the enclave’s 2.2 million residents.

The operation, which Israeli officials say ultimately aims to retake control of the entire Gaza Strip, continues despite mounting global concern over the humanitarian catastrophe, which has reached the level of famine in some areas.

The Israeli military campaign’s stated objectives include capturing Gaza City, displacing over one million residents, and securing the release of all remaining Israeli captives.

Hamas is believed to still hold around 48 captives, with around 20 thought to be alive.

However, the group has warned that the recent expansion of Israeli military operations in Gaza City poses a threat to the captives’ lives.

Israel Evading Ceasefire

In mid-August, Hamas agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal and a prisoner exchange deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar.

Moreover, Hamas has reiterated its willingness to engage in a comprehensive deal that would involve the release of all captives in Gaza in exchange for an end to the war.

Israel has not issued an official response to the mediator’s proposal, which is originally based on a proposal put forward earlier by US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, in a phone call with Witkoff on Saturday, emphasized the urgency of Israel responding to the proposed deal.

The foreign minister said the proposed ceasefire can pave the way for de-escalation, humanitarian access, and the release of prisoners and captives.

Since the start of the war in October 2023, Israel has killed 64,368 Palestinians in Gaza, many of them women and children, and injured over 162,300 more, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

Israeli has also destroyed homes and crucial facilities including hospitals and schools, forced most of the population to flee their homes, and plunged the enclave into a confirmed famine that has killed 382 people, including 135 children.