Israeli army has launched major operation in Gaza City: Netanyahu
PM Netanyahu, during his testimony at a corruption trial today, said the Israeli army has begun a “significant operation” in Gaza City.
He has requested he be excused from proceedings.
What is happening in Gaza City?
Israel says it has started the main part of a ground operation to take control of Gaza City, hours after top US diplomat Marco Rubio met Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
- Our colleagues on the ground say the Sabra neighbourhood has been under Israeli bombardment since this morning in Gaza City, with dozens reported killed and wounded.
- In the past hour, a series of explosions has rocked the densely populated city as Israel attempts to force Palestinians south, with at least 37 people reported killed in the city.
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from west Nuseirat, says the situation for the thousands of Palestinians evacuating the city is “unbearable” as the sounds of “endless explosions” ring out across the north of the Palestinian enclave.
Residents said bombardment of the city had been ramped up dramatically over the past two days, with heavier explosions that destroyed dozens of homes, and naval boats joining tanks and planes in the bombardment of the coast.
‘Witnessing a systematic, unfolding terror’ in Gaza City
This is a tactic of sandwiching whoever remains in the city.
The eastern part of Gaza has already been cleared – not just of buildings or physical structures but also the densely populated area. People fled into the western part of the city but now find themselves displaced yet again.
We’re talking about another sleepless night that gripped Gaza City. In fact, it was one of the worst nights in the past few weeks with relentless explosions causing fear and panic among the residents.
They have to run out of their homes in the middle of the night with nothing other than the clothes that they’re wearing, seeking shelter towards the coast of Gaza City. Fighter jets are hovering at a very dangerously low level in the past hour or two. The sky remains filled with the constant hum of drones, leaving residents unable to rest.
What we are witnessing is a systematic, unfolding terror inflicted on this population. They live in constant fear that their building will be next and they will lose everything and find themselves on the road again to displacement.
Video shows huge explosions in Gaza City
Footage circulating on social media shows huge explosions as the Israeli army bombs Tal al-Hawa, a neighbourhood in the south of Gaza City.
The video, posted on Instagram and verified by Al Jazeera, shows huge clouds of smoke and dust rising from the sites of the explosions, which are viewed from streets lined with the rubble of destroyed buildings.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOp7bteCgkl
