Israel bombs high-rise towers as brutal Gaza City assault intensifies

Israel’s forces have destroyed^[1] a high-rise tower in a densely populated part of Gaza City and have warned of further attacks to multi-storey buildings as it intensifies its campaign to seize control of the capital.

On Friday, the Israeli military ordered people in Mushtaha Tower, a 12-storey building located on the western side of Gaza City and surrounded by hundreds of makeshift tents, to evacuate, and later struck the building, claiming it was “Hamas infrastructure” and was used to plan and carry out operations against Israeli forces.

Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said the building was one of the biggest high-rises in the heart of Gaza City.

“Israeli forces hit it with two air strikes – the first was a warning and then it was hit again with another F-16 strike,” she said.

The management of the Mushtaha Tower has denied Israeli claims that the high-rise was being used by Hamas fighters, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. The building’s management said the site was only accessible to displaced people.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, also reporting from Deir el-Balah, said a number of civilians were wounded in the Israeli attack on the 12-storey tower and were transported to al-Shifa Hospital to receive emergency treatment.

“The shock wave of the attack spread over the entire area, triggering chaos. A number of makeshift tents have been affected by the attack, which signals a new phase of the Israeli military campaign,” he said.

‘Gates of hell are opening’

Prior to the attack on the tower, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said on X that Israel’s military activity in Gaza City is intensifying. He said the “gates of hell are opening now” in Gaza and warned that they will not be closed until Hamas “accepts Israel’s conditions for ending the war – led by the release of all the hostages and disarmament”.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said Israel’s attacks on high-rises in the region are not yet over.

He said another five-storey building is facing Israel’s forced evacuation order.

“This is a building near a gas station and the YMCA, a nonprofit organisation. People are being given a short amount of time to evacuate,” he said.

Military analyst Elijah Magnier told Al Jazeera that Israel is targeting high-rise buildings in Gaza to minimise its potential troop casualties when they advance on the ground, while also spreading “panic and fear” among the civilian population.

“It also has a psychological advantage,” he noted. “Destroying the skyline creates shock, disorientation, fear and panic among civilians” who have “no visibility of the future or when this war will end”.

“This is a preparation to occupy Gaza City,” he said.

‘The operation will continue’

On Friday, an Israeli military spokesperson claimed that Israel controls 40 percent of Gaza City.

“We continue to damage Hamas’s infrastructure. Today we hold 40 percent of the territory of Gaza City,” Israeli Brigadier General Effie Defrin told a news conference, naming the Zeitoun and Sheikh Radwan neighbourhoods. “The operation will continue to expand and intensify in the coming days.”

Israeli forces killed at least 44 people across Gaza on Friday, with at least seven children killed in attacks in Gaza City alone.

Al Jazeera’s Khoudary said Palestinians have begun heading south due to the attacks in Gaza City.

“Tents have been filling up in az-Zawayda, al-Mawasi, Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah,” she said. “Palestinians must either survive by going south or stay in Gaza City – and we do not know what’s going to happen if they stay. There’s fear and desperation here.”

Palestinian and United Nations officials, however, say nowhere is safe in Gaza, including areas Israel designates as humanitarian zones.

Since the start of Israel’s war in October 2023, at least 64,231 people have been killed and 161,583 wounded across Gaza. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.

Hamas releases video of two hostages

On Friday, Hamas released a video of two Israeli captives seized from a music festival in Israel in October 2023. Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel are two of 48 people still being held by Hamas in Gaza, with 20 thought to be still alive.

The video was edited and featured an exhausted-looking Gilboa-Dalal speaking for around three-and-a-half minutes. He says he is being held in Gaza City along with several other captives and that he is afraid of being killed by Israel’s offensive on the city.

Gilboa-Dalal appears to be in the backseat of a car that is being driven around. As the car passes by buildings, he identifies one as belonging to the Red Cross. At one point, Ohel is also seen.

After the release of the video, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on X urged Israeli negotiators to resume truce talks on a deal to secure the captives.

Tens of thousands of Israelis have also staged weekly demonstrations^[2] calling for an end to the war to secure the release of the remaining captives.

Those freed so far were released as a result of diplomatic negotiations mediated by the United States and Arab states, but the last round of talks collapsed in July.

While Hamas has said it would accept the proposal put forward in July that would see the release of some captives in exchange for a temporary ceasefire, Netanyahu has been pushing for an all-or-nothing deal with Hamas in which the group releases all captives and surrenders.