Latest News from Gaza: Intensified Israeli Bombardment and Tanks Advancing to the City’s Entrance

Heavy Israeli bombardment targeted the Gaza Strip, a day after Hamas announced its acceptance of the Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal.

Palestinian media reported that Israeli strikes hit the neighborhoods of Zaytoun and Sabra, as well as large areas of the territory. The Israeli army also demolished several buildings in the eastern parts of Zaytoun, while artillery shelling struck Jabalia and the Tuffah neighborhood east of the city.

The intensified Israeli bombardment came after Hamas and other Palestinian factions agreed to the Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, during which hostages and prisoners would be released on both sides, humanitarian aid would be delivered into the strip, and negotiations would be held to end the war.

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is expected today, Tuesday, to present to Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz a plan for the occupation of Gaza City.

Earlier, Zamir had stated that Israel was “at a crossroads” in the war, “with a focus on increasing attacks on Hamas in Gaza City.”

During a military training conference he led on Monday, Chief of Staff Zamir declared:

“We are in the midst of a multi-dimensional, continuous, and unprecedented military campaign. We are at a turning point in the war, preparing for the next stage of Operation Chariots of Gideon. All efforts must be intensified to continue operational progress, with a focus on deepening the damage inflicted on Hamas in Gaza City.”

The ball is now in Israel’s court, pending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position on the ceasefire proposal.

Meanwhile, Israeli sources announced that the government is discussing a plan involving the participation of about 80,000 soldiers from ground combat brigades to encircle and occupy Gaza City, considered one of Hamas’s last strongholds.

The city lies in the northwestern part of the Gaza Strip, on the Mediterranean coast.

With an area of 56 square kilometers, Gaza is the largest city in the strip. Before the war, its population was approximately 900,000.

According to the daily Israel Hayom, estimates suggest that “from the moment the new military operation begins, control of the area could be achieved within about two months.”

The Israeli outlet i24 reported that Israeli forces, including tanks supported by air cover, advanced toward the Sabra neighborhood in southern Gaza City and besieged schools and a UN-run clinic sheltering hundreds of displaced people.

Additionally, Israel’s “99th Division” reinforced its presence on the ground in preparation for fighting in parts of Gaza.