Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) struck three tall multi-story in Gaza City on September 14, as it prepared to completely occupy the area.
The first to go down was Kawthar tower, in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood. The tower was flattened to the ground by multiple strikes in the morning, around an hour after an IDF warning. There were no reports of casualties. According to the IDF, Hamas had placed surveillance equipment in that building to track troop movements in the area, in order to plan attacks.
Later in the afternoon, the Mahna Tower in Tel al-Hawa was struck, also following an IDF evacuation warning. Shortly afterward, Israel destroyed the al-Munawwarah City building on the Islamic University of Gaza campus. Casualties were reported after the strike on Mahana tower.
The military once again alleged that Hamas had placed surveillance equipment and set up observation posts in both buildings, in order to track troop movements and advance attacks.
The group’s fighters “prepared to carry out attacks against IDF troops in the area of one of the buildings that was struck,” it said.
Another strike targeted a tent in an overcrowded shelter in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, killing seven people and wounding about 20.
Two parents, their three children and the children’s aunt were killed in a separate strike that hit a shelter in the city of Deir al-Balah
The intense strikes came five days after the IDF issued an evacuation order for the entirety of Gaza City ahead of a planned offensive there. Most Palestinians have already left the city.
The Government Media Office in Gaza stated that since the beginning of September, Israel has completely destroyed 70 residential towers and buildings in Gaza City, and severely damaged 120 others, in addition to more than 3,500 tents housing displaced Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry in the Strip said that in the past 24 hours, 68 bodies and 346 wounded were brought to hospitals. Moreover, the bodies of 10 aid seekers and 18 wounded aid seekers have arrived at hospitals in Gaza in the same time period.
The casualties brought the Palestinian death toll from the Israeli war on Gaza to 64,871, with at least 164,610 others wounded.
Separately, the IDF announced during the day that its strikes on Gaza killed dozens of “terror operatives” over the last 24 hours.
In the area of Jabalia and on the outskirts of Gaza City, the Givati Infantry Brigade killed more than ten operatives and destroyed Hamas infrastructure, while the 215th Artillery Regiment killed additional operatives and destroyed weapon depots.
In Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, the IDF said that the 401st Armored Brigade led a strike that killed a group of at least 10 Hamas operatives.
The military also announced that the 990th Reserve Artillery Regiment killed additional operatives and destroyed a Hamas anti-tank missile launch post used in a previous attack in northern Gaza, and that the Yiftah Reserve Infantry Brigade and Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade destroyed several buildings being used by Hamas for surveillance in the same part of the Strip.
Israel believes that the upcoming offensive in Gaza City will deal a final blow to Hamas. However, the group appears to be determined to fight to the very end.
The recent Israeli attack on Qatar, which failed to kill the leadership of the group, have very much led to a halt in talks on a new ceasefire-hostage deal. This was likely one of the main goals of the attack. Israel could resume talks only after occupying Gaza City. There is no guarantee that Hamas will agree to this, however.
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they are experts at taking down towers.
for exactly 14 years.
what? you must be kidding, they do that for waaaay longer.
i wish i was a superior jew
not even if all arabs and turkey were to form a middle east alliance like nato they could defeat israel.
read my lips: there will be no palestinian state living side byside with israel and that’s a fact the world will have to swallow.
why don’t all brics – nations impose a total trade embargo on this nazi hole in judistan?
maybe brics nations likes judish nazism , and mass murder . ?
since 9/11 they became masters of taking down towers.
the gaza prison camp is fully funded by american taxpayers. thank your congress !