GAZA CITY, Sept 17 — Israel has announced a major ground assault in Gaza City that it says is aimed at crushing Hamas in the Palestinian territory’s largest urban hub.
Here is what we know about the offensive, the lead-up to it and the reactions it has sparked:
Why now?
When Israel announced it would launch an offensive to capture Gaza City, global condemnation of its conduct of the war sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack was picking up pace.
In Israel too, thousands of people including relatives of hostages seized by Palestinian fighters during the October 7 attack have protested in recent weeks, calling for an end to the war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose majority depends on his allies in the far right, has remained defiant, insisting that the war will end only with Hamas’s defeat.
He was emboldened by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit over the weekend, during which he promised his ally his “unwavering support”.
The offensive, launched on September 16, came as a United Nations probe accused Israel of committing “genocide” in the Palestinian territory, a charge Israel rejected as “distorted and false”.
What do we know so far?
On Tuesday, armed forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir announced that the military had “significantly expanded its operation in Gaza City”.
“We are operating deep in the area, combining ground troops, precision strikes and high-quality intelligence. Our objective is to enhance the strikes on Hamas until its decisive defeat,” he said.
The military estimated there were 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas fighters in central Gaza City.
It also said that more than 350,000 people had left the city.
Palestinian sources, including Hamas and the civil defence agency that is operating under its authority, put the estimates lower.
Media restrictions in the territory and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify details provided by the civil defence or the Israeli military.
AFP journalists in Gaza City have observed an exodus of people streaming out of the city, with some on foot and others packed into vehicles and on donkey carts with their belongings.
The United Nations estimated at the end of August that around one million people lived in Gaza City and its surroundings.
How long will it last?
Israeli army spokesman Effie Defrin said the military was “concentrating an offensive effort in Gaza City, which will continue as long as necessary… until the goals of the war are achieved”.
“We are not limited by time,” he added. “We estimate that it will take several months to take control of the city, its centres of gravity, and several more months or even more to cleanse the city, whose infrastructure is deep and well-established.”
On Wednesday, the military said it had struck more than 150 targets in Gaza City since it launched the assault.
What reactions has it sparked?
The offensive has sparked strong condemnation by governments and officials around the world.
“Israel is determined to go up to the end and (is) not open to a serious negotiation for a ceasefire, with dramatic consequences from Israel’s point of view,” UN chief Antonio Guterres said.
France urged Israel to stop its “destructive campaign”, while Germany called the offensive “the completely wrong path”.
China said it “firmly opposes” the escalation, while Qatar called the assault “an extension of its genocidal war against the Palestinian people”. — AFP
Israel’s ground invasion on Gaza City amid UN genocide warning: What we know
