THE PEOPLE OF Gaza City are living with a renewed sense of fear and despair now that Israel has begun ‘preliminary operations’ ahead of its full-scale assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest population centre. 

Israel’s Arabic-language spokesman said today: “We are not waiting.”

“We have begun preliminary operations and the initial stages of the attack on Gaza City, and we are currently operating with great force on the outskirts of the city,” Avichay Adraee said on X.

The UN estimates that nearly a million people currently live in Gaza governorate, which includes Gaza City and its surroundings in the north of the territory.

The UN declared a famine in Gaza governorate last week, blaming “systematic obstruction” by Israel of humanitarian aid deliveries.

An Israeli army statement today said that going forward Gaza City “constitutes a dangerous combat zone”, and daily pauses in military activity aimed at facilitating aid distribution will no longer apply there.

The military did not call for the population to leave immediately, but Adraee said earlier this week that the city’s evacuation was “inevitable”.

This evening, Hamas issued a statement saying that Israel’s assault would place the remaining hostages it’s holding in danger.

“We will take care of the prisoners the best we can, and they will be with our fighters in the combat and confrontation zones, subjected to the same risks and the same living conditions”, Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, said.

‘Death is always near’

Abdul Karim Al-Damagh, 64, told AFP he was heading south and that it was the fifth time he had been displaced since the start of the war.

“Today, once again, I must abandon what remains of my home and memories… The south may be a bit quieter than here, but it’s not safe, fear chases us, and death is always near,” he said.

“All we ask for is mercy. I want to die with my head held high, not standing in a water line or behind a bag of flour.”

Mohammed Abu Qamar, 42, who is originally from Jabalia camp in northern Gaza but was heading south, said his “heart is burning”.

“We don’t want to leave our home. We’re exhausted, driven north and south with no relief,” he told AFP by telephone.

“Death is closing in around us. We walk on the road, not knowing if we’ll reach safety or die halfway there.”

Hostage bodies recovered 

The Israeli military also announced today that it had recovered the remains of two hostages in Gaza.

One was identified as Ilan Weiss, who was killed in the Hamas-led attack of October 2023. The name of the second hostage has yet to be released.

Of the 251 hostages seized during the October 2023 attack, 47 are still being held in Gaza, around 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

The Israeli government has come under sustained domestic pressure to end the war on Gaza and secure the release of the remaining hostages through negotiations. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed on regardless, promising to bring the hostages home by destroying Hamas. 

The families of hostages, and former hostages has accused him of abandoning their loved ones for the sake of his own political interests. 

‘Systematic destruction’

Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris issued a joint statement today, alongside his counterparts from Iceland, Norway, Spain, Slovenia and Luxembourg, condemning the planned intensification of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip and its systematic destruction of essential civilian infrastructure. 

“This new offensive is opening a new phase of uncertainty and intolerable suffering for both sides,” the foreign minister wrote. 

“The systematic destruction of essential civilian infrastructure, including locations that serve as refuge for extremely vulnerable displaced civilians, is unacceptable.”

They urged the Israeli government “to immediately reconsider its decision and cease operations,” adding that “this spiral of violence must end”. 

In a separate statement, Harris said the European Union’s credibility was on the line due to its inaction regarding the “horrific genocide” being committed by Israel in Gaza. 

Harris joined fellow EU foreign ministers for a meeting in Copenhagen today, where he said he would demand the bloc do more than issue statements of condemnation. 

“It is crucially important that the European Union acts now and takes immediate and concrete measures in response to Israel’s actions, which are in breach of its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

“We need to maximise the pressure, to bring about a ceasefire, and to end the famine.”

Since the beginning of the latest Israel war in Gaza, the EU has failed to agree to take any concrete measures against Israel, despite the efforts of some member states, including Ireland. 

With reporting from AFP