| Battle of Deir al-Balah | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the May 2025 Gaza offensive of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Israel |  Hamas | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Unknown |  Unknown | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| 13 killed by airstrikes [1] 19 Palestinian civilians died from hunger [2] | |||||||
On 20 July 2025, Israel began an air and ground offensive in Deir al-Balah as part of its invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had not launched an offensive into Deir al-Balah since the start of the Gaza war, though the city had experienced intensifying Israeli aerial bombardment and incidents such as the World Central Kitchen aid convoy attack in April 2024 and Deir al-Balah mosque bombing in October 2024. [3] According to Israeli sources, the IDF had stayed out of Deir al-Balah because it suspected Hamas might be holding hostages there. The offensive began as more than 130 Palestinians were killed and over 1,000 were wounded by Israeli gunfire the previous day. [4]
On 20 July, the IDF issued evacuation orders for Deir al-Balah by dropping leaflets, calling on all its displaced residents to evacuate immediately to al-Mawasi. The evacuation orders would force between 50,000 and 80,000 people in Deir al-Balah to leave the city, leaving 87.8% of the Gaza Strip under evacuation orders. [5] On the same day, it began conducting airstrikes in the area. [6]
On 21 July, the IDF intensified its airstrikes on Deir al-Balah and began a ground incursion into the southern and eastern parts of the city. [5] Medical Aid for Palestinians reported Israeli shelling and quadcopter strikes around their office in the city. [7] Israeli tanks subsequently advanced into the outskirts of Deir al-Balah. Israel Army Radio stated that the Golani Brigade had "begun a ground maneuver in the southern Deir al-Balah area." [8] Tank shelling in the city hit houses and mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others. [4] The United Nations reported that its guesthouses in Deir al-Balah were attacked three times, with airstrikes causing extensive damage and a fire. [9] [10] The IDF raided UN facilities and handcuffed and stripped two WHO staff and two family members and held them at gunpoint, later releasing three while keeping one staff member in detention. [11] Hamas said it ambushed Israeli troops invading Deir al-Balah, detonating a "powerful landmine" in Umm Dhahir as a Merkava tank passed by. [12]
United Kingdom: Foreign Minster David Lammy condemned the offensive and said it puts the Israeli hostages in "grave danger." He also said that Israel must answer "what possible military justification can there be for strikes that have killed desperate starving children." [13] 
United Nations: UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric condemned the offensive, stating that it threatens to deprive hundreds of thousands of Palestinians of a main source of drinking water. [14] 
