Latest News from Gaza: Towers Collapse as Ground Operation Imminent
When Gaza City’s towers collapse, it is not only concrete that falls, but also memories scattered amid displacement and devastation.
As this scene unfolds, the Israeli army is preparing for an imminent ground assault that could usher in an even harsher chapter for the city, home to more than one million Palestinians.
On Sunday, the Israeli army bombed several high-rise buildings in Gaza City after warning residents to evacuate certain neighborhoods. This marked the latest wave of destruction since Tel Aviv ordered a full evacuation of the city.
Israel’s assault on Gaza appeared to accelerate as the army issued evacuation orders for several towers within a matter of hours on Sunday morning.
The strikes came ahead of a meeting convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss efforts to avoid harming hostages still held in Gaza during the planned ground operation to seize control of the city, according to CNN.
The U.S. network, citing an informed source, reported that Thursday’s meeting will include Israel’s foreign and defense ministers, along with military and security chiefs.
It is believed that about 20 hostages remain alive in the enclave, some of them possibly located in Gaza City.
Ground Operation “Very Close”
Two Israeli officials told CNN that the ground operation in Gaza City is scheduled to begin within days.
One said, “It’s very close,” while the other suggested it could start as early as Monday.
UN Buildings Hit
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini announced that at least ten UN facilities had been damaged in Gaza City over the past four days.
He stressed that “there is no safe place in Gaza” and “no one is safe” in the wake of Israel’s “massive” airstrikes on the city and northern Gaza.
The ten facilities included seven schools and two clinics used as shelters for thousands of displaced people.
Towers Under Fire
On Sunday, Al-Kawthar Tower, an 11-story building near Gaza’s port, was destroyed in an air raid—one of several high-rises damaged since the Israeli army expanded its operations in the city earlier this month, forcing nearly a million residents to flee south.
The army claimed the tower was targeted because “Hamas used it to monitor Israeli troop movements.”
Hours later, following another warning on “X,” a multi-story building known as Mehna Tower in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood was struck but not demolished.
Another building at Gaza’s Islamic University was hit and destroyed by multiple missiles. Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz shared a video of the strikes on “X,” declaring: “The Islamic University in Gaza is burning. We are eliminating sources of incitement and terrorism.”
Heavy Toll in Displacement and Lives
Gaza’s civil defense announced days ago that more than 50,000 Palestinians had been left homeless after Israel intensified its operations in the city last week. More than 130 residential buildings were destroyed during the same period.
CNN recorded the destruction of at least a dozen high-rises in central Gaza since September 5.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that since October 7, 2023, 64,871 people have been killed and 164,610 wounded in the territory.
Israel’s escalation coincided with the arrival of the U.S. Secretary of State in the country for talks on the war and hostages.
On Sunday, Marco Rubio visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City with Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. He is set to meet Netanyahu officially on Monday, when, according to three Israeli sources, the prime minister is expected to raise with him his government’s potential plans to annex the West Bank.
