Israel’s ground offensive has pushed deeper into Gaza as the besieged strip reels from ceaseless strikes, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
The “open-air prison” - home to some 2.3 million Palestinians- has been hit with thousands of Israeli air strikes since Hamas’ attack on 7 October, destroying hospitals and UN-protected schools in the relentless assault on the enclave. Israel says more than 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attacks and around 200 more were taken hostage.
Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has commenced the “second stage of war” after the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) began a large-scale ground invasion last week.
Thousands of airstrikes have battered Gaza daily and nightly since 7 October— (AP)
The Israeli military announced on 27 October it was “widening” its offensive in Gaza. In the morning it released grainy footage of aerial and naval strikes as well as videos of tanks and infantry driving through the enclave on the 26 October.
On the night of 28 October, Israel launched its heaviest-ever bombing campaign on Gaza. “Last evening, the ground shook in Gaza,” the defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said of the bloody night. “We attacked above ground and underground. The instructions to the forces are clear. The campaign will continue until further notice.”
In a press conference on 29 October, Netanyahu declared ‘holy war’ on Hamas as he quoted the Hebrew Bible: “You must remember what Amalek has done to you”- a reference to one of Israel’s staunch enemies in the Old Testament.
Israeli army carried out a "targeted raid" in northern Gaza with tanks and infantry on 26 October— (Israeli Army/AFP via Getty Image)
Though the IDF did not reveal the locations of the raids, Geoconfirmed, an online geolocating platform, posted photos of military vehicles on X, mapping the tanks at the northern border of the Gaza strip.
This map shows where Israeli tanks are located in Gaza, according to Geoconfirmed:
It comes as at least 8,525 people have been killed in Gaza, including almost 3,542 children, the Palestinian authorities say. At least 21,048 people are said to have been injured.
Entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed, particularly in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, and Ash Shuja’iyeh, Gaza City, the area between Gaza and Ash Shati’ Refugee Camp, and Abbassan Kabeera.
On 31 October, the Jabalia refugee camp was hit by multiple Israeli airstrikes, killing over 50 people, with hundreds wounded and many still trapped under the rubble, the Gaza health ministry said.
Access to water from Israel into Gaza has also been cut off “for unknown reasons”, according to the UN’s OCHA.
Palestinians in Gaza looking for people under the rubble after Jabalia refugee camp was hit by Israel airstrikes— (AFP via Getty Images)
Rows of bodies as Gazans were massacred by Israeli airstrikes— (REUTERS)
The Gaza Ministry of Public Works and Housing reported the destruction of 16,441 housing units and the rendering of 11,340 other units uninhabitable, as of 23 October.
The total number of housing units reported as destroyed or damaged accounts for at least 45 per cent of all housing units in the Gaza Strip, according to OCHA.
“No place in Gaza is safe now,” Haytam Harara from Gaza City told The Independent. “Bombing is everywhere around us. We hear nothing except for the sound of warplanes, massive bombings, and the sirens of ambulances. It is like we are waiting until our turn comes.”
As of 25 October, 219 educational facilities have been hit, including at least 29 UNRWA schools, the Palestinians say.
This figure includes nearly 629,000 people staying in 150 UNRWA DES, 121,750 sheltering in hospitals, churches, and other public buildings, and nearly 79,000 in 70 non-UNRWA schools. In addition, the Ministry of Social Development estimates that some 700,000 IDPs are residing with host families.
