The siege of Gaza City began on 2 November 2023, when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) surrounded Gaza City, amid the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, which was a counterattack to the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. [23] Gaza City is the most populated city in the Gaza Strip and the battle started on 30 October 2023, when Israel and Hamas clashed in Gaza City. [24] According to Oxfam, there are about 500,000 Palestinians, along with 200 Israelis and other captives, currently trapped in a "siege within a siege" in northern Gaza. [25] [26]
On 2 November, Israeli troops encircled Gaza city as the Palestinian death toll rose above 9,000. Israeli troops have met fierce resistance upon advancing towards the gates of Gaza city. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters left their tunnels to fire at incoming Israeli tanks, before heading back into their large underground network. The Israeli military reported to have lost the commander of its 53rd battalion in the battle, Lieutenant-Colonel Salman Habaka, who was believed to be the most senior Israeli officer killed since Israeli ground operations in the Gaza strip began on 27 October. This guerilla-style combat has forced Israel into a ground war instead of relying on its powerful airforce to hit Hamas hide-outs from above. [27]
Israel acknowledged that Hamas was "well-prepared" for the battle, claiming that there were "minefields and booby traps" that hindered access to the city. A resident of Gaza City reported that Israel shelled the city throughout the whole night but still could not advance through city limits. [27] The Israel Defense Forces published the names of five soldiers who were killed during combat on 2 November, raising the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the invasion of the Gaza Strip to 24. [28]
An Israeli airstrike destroyed a residential building in Bureij refugee camp south of Gaza city, killing at least 15 and burying dozens more under rubble. The airstrike took place in the southern zone of the Gaza Strip, which Israel had ordered residents of northern Gaza to evacuate to on 13 October. On the same day, Israeli airstrikes bombed an area of apartment towers in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, just 100 meters away from Al-Quds Hospital, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. [29]
On 3 November, an Israeli drone missile targeted a medical convoy of ambulances that were carrying 15–20 critically wounded patients near the front gate of Al-Shifa Hospital, who were leaving to the Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt to seek treatment abroad. [30] On the same day, an Israeli airstrike bombed Osama bin Zaid school in northern Gaza, which was run by the UNRWA, killing over 20 people. The UNRWA said that at least 1,000 people took refuge in the school since the start of the war. [31] [32] [33] Israel claimed to have lost 18 soldiers and killed dozens of militants on 3 November. [34]
On 4 November, Israeli forces bombed the UN-run al-Fakhoora school in Jabalia refugee camp, which had been sheltering displaced people, killing at least 15 people and wounding 54, mostly women and children. Israel had also targeted solar panels and generators, including solar panels on top of hospitals. These were the only source of electricity in Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade on the Gaza Strip on 9 October. The Israeli army had bombed the Ali bin Abi Talib and Al-Istijabah mosques in al-Sabra neighborhood. [35] Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades said that their fighters have killed 5 more Israeli soldiers in a building northwest of Gaza City, after attacking the force with machine guns and bombs. [36] Al-Qassam Brigades have stated that they are fighting on multiple fronts, including northwest of Gaza City, south of Gaza City, in Beit Hanoun and northeastern Gaza Strip. Hamas fighters have destroyed 24 Israeli military vehicles, including a tank, an armoured personnel carrier, and a bulldozer with anti-armour weapons, notably 105mm Al-Yassin rocket-propelled grenades in the past two days. [36]
On 5 November, the Israel Defense Forces bombed al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 30 to 51 people, mostly women and children. [37] The Israeli bombing destroyed the Sam'an family's home in the refugee camp and caused severe damage to neighboring homes and infrastructure. [38]
IDF released footage of fighting near the Hamad Hospital (Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics), including Hamas fighters firing from the hospital and using tunnels near the hospital building. [39] Daniel Hagari, the head of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, said in a statement that Israel had fully surrounded Gaza City; "Israeli media" indicated that the IDF was going to enter the city itself in two days. Communication outages were also reported in Gaza due to the fighting. [40]
On 7 November, Israel claimed to have reached the "heart of Gaza City," however there is no evidence or indication on the ground that Israeli forces pushed further into the city. Hamas announced that its fighters were inflicting heavy losses and damage on advancing Israeli forces. [41] Benjamin Netanyahu suggested a plan for Israel to be responsible for Gaza's overall security for an "indefinite period" after the war, [42] although this was opposed by the United States. US President Joe Biden argued that "a reoccupation by Israeli forces of Gaza is not the right thing to do." [43] [44]
On 8 November, 50,000 Gazans fled south via the evacuation window according to the Israeli government, amid fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces in Gaza City. Some compared the mass movements to the Nakba of 1948. [45] Daniel Hagari claimed that the IDF were destroying underground tunnels of Hamas and seizing weapons, including more than 700 RPGs. [46] It is unclear whether Israeli troops were fighting inside the city. [47] An Israeli airstrike on a house near a hospital in Jabalia refugee camp killed at least 19 people. [48] As a result of the Israeli total blockade of Gaza, Al-Quds Hospital ran out of fuel and was forced to shut down most operations, while also suffering daily Israeli bombardments around the medical complex since 5 November. The hospital turned off its main generator and resorted to operating a smaller generator to provide essential services to its 500 patients and 14,000 internally displaced people sheltering there. [49]
On 9 November, Israel launched a "series of violent raids" in northern Gaza, creating a "fire belt" in the eastern side of northern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Interior Ministry. Israeli jets bombed several homes in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, killing at least 7 Palestinians. An Israeli airstrike bombed Al-Buraq School in Lababidi Street in the Al-Nasr neighbourhood, north of Gaza City, which was being used by the UNRWA as a shelter. At least 50 people were killed in the attack, with multiple injuries reported. [50] The Israeli military claimed to have killed 50 Hamas fighters in Gaza City in the last few days. Hamas said that an Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza was killed and another was injured in an Israeli air raid on central Gaza. [51]
On 10 November, at least 50 people were killed after Israeli missiles and artillery attacked a school in Gaza sheltering internally displaced people. Israeli tanks surrounded several hospitals in Gaza according to health officials, while al-Shifa hospital came under attack five times in the past 24 hours. By 10 November, over 50% of housing units across Gaza were destroyed by relentless Israeli bombardment. [52] [53]
Starting on 11 November, Israel Defense Forces began a siege of the Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza, based on intelligence that Hamas' command center is under the hospital. [54] [55] The Israeli army directly attacked the hospital, where thousands of wounded and displaced people are trapped amid heavy bombardment. [56] [57] [58] The situation at al-Shifa Hospital is part of a serious healthcare crisis in Gaza. The hospital is rapidly running out of electricity, food and medical supplies. The last generator ran out of fuel, killing three premature babies and four other patients. [59] Another 36 children are at risk of death. [60] On 15 November, the IDF raided the hospital. [61]
On 18 November, Israeli airstrikes over 80 civilians in Jabalia refugee camp in north Gaza. [62]
On 21 November, the IDF moved its frontline to encircle Jabalia refugee camp where they were fighting Palestinian militants. [63] [64]
On November 24, the Israeli army withdrew from Al-Shifa hospital. [65] [66] According to Middle East Eye, Israel failed to produce much evidence that Hamas was using the hospital as a "command and control centre" despite controlling the hospital for over a week. [67]
Nine IDF soldiers of the Golani Brigade including Lt. Col. Tomer Greenberg was killed in an ambush while trying to help a group of IDF soldiers that were caught in an ambush resulting in one of the largest losses for the IDF during the invasion. [68] [69]
IDF announced that Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion and 188th Armored Brigade captured the Palestine Square in Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood releasing footage of IDF demolishing the Hamas war monument that celebrated the ambush of an Israeli APC during the 2014 Battle of Shuja'iyya [70] The Shujaiya Battalion of Hamas was also under heavy pressure due Israel destroying its command centers and infrastructure but Shujaiya remained an established stronghold of Hamas with heavy fighting. [71]
The IDF reported the destruction of the three Hamas battalions operating in Jabalia and that Palestinian militant deaths in Jabalia had reached 1000 although a few militia fighters were still fighting in the Jabalia area. Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) estimated that Hamas's North Gaza Brigade had been significantly degraded. [72]
Palestinian militias continued to attack Israeli advances east of Jabalia city with al Qassem Brigades claiming two attacks on Israeli forces using thermobaric rockets and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) in Tal al Zaatar refugee camp, north of Jabalia together with mortar attacks by al Quds Brigades. The al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and al Nasser Salah al Din Brigades also claimed to have attacked Israeli forces. Palestinian militants used the relative safety of the Central Governorate to attack Israeli forces in and around the Gaza City. [72]
CTP-ISW assessed that the al-Qassem Brigades’ Sabra-Tal al-Islam (Tel al-Hawa) Battalion is degraded but is still combat effective. Al Qassem Brigades continued attacks against advancing Israeli forces as well as resisting Israeli clearing operations behind Israeli frontline. Reported Hamas attacks included an ambush of eight-vehicle Israeli convoy in Sabra and Tal al Hawa and detonating anti-personnel IEDs in Zaytun neighborhood, southern Gaza City. [73]
IDF reported operations operation in the Bakshi neighborhood, south of Gaza City against the Nuseirat Battalion from the Hamas Central Gaza Strip Brigade. Israel began began expanding the offensive towards Central Gaza which had been used by Hamas and allies to carry out attacks against IDF forces in the Gaza City. [12]
The IDF announced the "operational control" of Shuja'iyya and the destruction of the Hamas Shuja'iyya Battalion with IDF claiming that the Battalion has not carried out attacks in the past week. However Palestinian militias other than Hamas continued to battle Israeli forces around Shujaiya and surrounding neighborhoods with The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Al-Quds Brigades reporting continued fighting with IDF. [12]
Continued fighting reported in Rimal neighborhood as the IDF located and destroyed a vast underground complex used by Hamas leadership. Palestinian forces south of Gaza City continued attempts to repel the Israeli advances into the central Gaza Strip from South of Gaza City and fighting continued in Juhor ad Dik where rocket launchers targeting Israel were captured by the IDF. [74]
The IDF reported that Israeli forces are clearing Jabalia building by building which are used by Palestinian fighters to hide and fire at Israeli forces with small arms. The al Quds Brigades and the al-Qassam Brigades claimed a combined ambush on Israeli forces inside a house east of Jabalia while Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades fired RPGs at IDF forces advancing in the Sheikh Radwan Neighborhood which is believed by the ISW to retain significant Palestinian militia defensive capabilities. The Radwan Battalion wa assessed to be combat effective despite being under intense IDF pressure. [74]
The 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade was rotated out of the Gaza Strip for a 48-hour resting period after 21 days of intense combat in Shujaiya during which the unit reported the successful clearing of Shujaiya while suffering 44 deaths since October 7. Palestinian militias and Iranian media claimed this as an Israeli defeat. [74]
Palestinian forces continued attacks in Jabalia and Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City using anti-personnel munitions, RPGs, and thermobaric rockets. Sheikh Radwan neighborhood remains one of the remaining areas in Gaza City where Palestinian militias continue to claim nearly daily attacks on Israeli forces. Israeli special operations forces located a Hamas headquarters south of Gaza City consisting of a multi-level tunnel network connected with water and electrical infrastructure that allowed Hamas fighters to move between different sectors of the city. [75]
The IDF claimed to have cleared two schools and seized IEDs in UNRWA bags. Palestinian militias continued to resist Israeli forces in Daraj wal Tuffah with the al Qassem Brigades and al Quds Brigades using combined sniper and RPG fire against dismounted IDF infantry. [76]
The IDF's 36th Division which fought in Gaza City's neighborhoods of Zeitoun, Shuja'iyya, Rimal and Al-Shati refugee camp moved out of the city and advanced towards Central Gaza against Hama's Bureij Battalion. [77]
The IDF Nahal Brigade Combat Team under the 162nd Division discovered a large weapons factory during raids in Daraj and Tuffah neighborhoods together with Israeli special operations forces (SOF). A tunnel shaft discovered by the IDF led to a 100-meter-long tunnel containing a weapons production site where components of precision weapons were found, with images shared by the IDF of the site showing a rocket engine and a warhead designed for a Hamas cruise missile indicating Iranian involvement. [78]
Hamas denied it has lost command-and-control network in the Gaza Strip and published videos of al Qassem Brigades operations in Northern Gaza including Sheikh Radwan but the videos were dated to late December 2023. Institute for the Study of War (ISW) claimed that Hamas command and control network has been dismantled but Hamas forces are in Gaza City are not yet defeated specially in the southern Gaza City where the Zaytoun Battalion have access to a rear safe haven in the Central Governorate. The ISW speculated that remaining Hamas forces in northern Gaza Strip are shifting their strategy to fix Israeli forces in the area to prevent the IDF forces from moving southwards. [79]
As the IDF discovered a PIJ underground tunnel network in Shujaiya neighborhood which the IDF had not previously noticed despite being one kilometer from the border with Israel. The IDF described the remaining Hamas fighters having gone into a "guerilla mode" after the deaths of most Hamas battalion commanders and disrupt IDF attempts to dismantle the remaining Hamas military infrastructure. [80]
According to the Institute for the Study of War Palestinian militias are likely infiltrating areas which were previously cleared by the IDF. There is a similar but more limited renewal of Palestinian activity in other locations that Israeli forces previously conducted clearing operations around the northern Gaza Strip as well. According to Israel Hamas is trying to restore its control over northern Gaza Strip by rehabilitating local police. As a result Israeli forces have "repositioned" themselves in Gaza City after they had withdrawn earlier. [81]
As Israeli forces repositioned themselves throughout the North Gaza axis, Al-Qassam brigades claimed to have ambushed a group of soldiers in a Namer APC and killed several. The paramilitary group on later uploaded a video on their military broadcast of the attack, showing the Namer getting ambushed in a dual attack, first by a Shawadh IED detonation and secondly by an additional Yasin-105 rocket fired by a Qassam Brigade militants, killing 10 soldiers whose dog tags were shown at the end of the video. [82]
By 18 January, the IDF stated that Hamas had begun to rebuild its armies in the occupied parts of Northern Gaza. The IDF had previously stated these armies were stripped of military capabilities but by 18 January the fighting strength of many battalions had been significantly restored. [83]
The IDF announced a division sized clearing operation to deal with Hamas infiltrations into Northern Gaza claiming 120 Palestinian militant deaths and the discovery of an alleged Hamas "data center" underneath the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in addition to weapons inside the headquarters. [84] The tunnel displayed to journalists began at a UNRWA school and went under the UNRWA HQ with the IDF claiming the tunnel received power from the UNRWA building. UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini denied that the UNRWA was aware of the tunnel stating that it lacked the expertise and capability to inspect underneath the premises. [85]
More than 100 Palestinians were killed and 750 were wounded after Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians waiting for food aid southwest of Gaza City. [86]
With Gaza city isolated from the rest of the strip, the city was struck with a severe famine. This was deepened by the Israeli bombardment, which caused the deterioration of basic infrastructure and services. [87] Airstrikes have destroyed food infrastructure, such as bakeries and flour mills, and there is a widespread scarcity of essential supplies due to the long-lasting blockade on Gaza. [lower-alpha 1] This has caused starvation for more than half a million Gazans and is part of a broader humanitarian crisis, and in the north of the strip a third of children under two years old are suffering from acute malnutrition. [89]
In February, owing to the dwindling food supplies, Palestinian ranchers resorted to slaughtering horses in order to feed locals. [90]
The Palestinian Civil Defence has restricted access to North Gaza, cut off from the rest of the strip by the Netzarim Corridor and is unable to conduct large scale body retrieval operations.[ citation needed ] They estimate that 10,000 civilians lie under the rubble.[ citation needed ]
In 2004, the Israeli Defense Forces launched Operation "Days of Penitence", otherwise known as Operation "Days of Repentance" in the northern Gaza Strip. The operation lasted between 29 September and 16 October 2004. About 130 Palestinians, and 1 Israeli were killed.
Jabalia Camp is a Palestinian refugee camp created by the United Nations following Israel's war of independence in 1948. Despite its name, it is nowadays an urban agglomeration located 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) north of Jabalia in the Gaza Strip. It is the largest refugee camp in Palestinian territory, with more than 100,000 inhabitants.
Al-Shifa Hospital was the largest medical complex and central hospital in the Gaza Strip, located in the neighborhood of northern Rimal in Gaza City.
The year 2023 in Israel was defined first by wide-scale protests against a proposed judicial reform, and then by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, which led to a war and to Israel invading the Gaza Strip.
Events in 2023 in the Palestinian territories.
From 9 October 2023, as part of the Israel–Hamas war, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has conducted airstrikes in Jabalia refugee camp, claiming it was a stronghold for Hamas and other militant groups.
On 27 October 2023, Israel launched an invasion of the Gaza Strip with the stated goals of destroying Hamas, a military and political movement that led an attack on Israel earlier in the month, and to free hostages taken by the group which is ongoing. Before the invasion, dubbed Operation Swords of Iron, Israel declared war, tightened its blockade, and ordered the evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip.
During the Israel–Hamas war, the Israeli military ordered most residents of Gaza to evacuate their homes, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and contributing to a broader humanitarian crisis in the territory. It is the largest displacement of Palestinians in 75 years. Palestinians have described the evacuation as the "second Nakba."
Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza, was placed under siege by Israel in mid-November 2023 during the Israel–Hamas war, after saying it had contained a Hamas command and control center beneath it. The incident was followed by a second major raid by Israeli forces in March 2024.
A significant number of attacks on healthcare facilities occurred during the Israel-Hamas war. During the first week of the war, there were 94 attacks on health care facilities in Israel and Gaza, killing 29 health care workers and injuring 24. The attacks on healthcare facilities contributed to a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza. By 30 November, the World Health Organization documented 427 attacks on healthcare in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, resulting in 566 fatalities and 758 injuries. By February 2024, it was reported that "every hospital in Gaza is either damaged, destroyed, or out of service due to lack of fuel." By April, WHO had verified 906 attacks on healthcare in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon.
Since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has conducted numerous airstrikes in densely populated Palestinian refugee camps in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank as part of its military operations in the Israel–Hamas war.
Since the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has conducted numerous airstrikes on more than 200 educational facilities, including universities, in the Gaza Strip as part of its military operations in the Israel–Hamas war. The IDF claims such airstrikes are the result of the placement of military infrastructure and rocket launching from civilian areas, including schools. By late-March 2024, the United Nations recorded more than 200 Israeli attacks on schools in Gaza, with at least 53 schools totally destroyed.
During the Israel–Hamas war, the healthcare system of Gaza was destroyed by Israeli attacks on hospitals and health facilities, killing of healthcare workers, and blockade of medical supplies from entering Gaza. The resulting collapse of the healthcare system was part of a broader humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip caused by the war.
Events in 2024 in the Palestinian territories.
The following is a list of events during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2024.
An insurgency began in northern Gaza, centred around besieged Gaza city after Israel announced it had dismantled 12 Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades battalions on 7 January.
The bombing of the Gaza Strip is an ongoing aerial bombardment campaign on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Air Force during the Israel–Hamas war. During the bombing, Israeli airstrikes damaged Palestinian refugee camps, schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, and civilian infrastructure.
The IDF said Biari 'oversaw all military operations in the northern Gaza Strip since the IDF entered'
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