Israel is gearing up for a full-scale ground offensive to seize Gaza City, while continuing heavy operations in outlying neighborhoods where troops are demolishing buildings they say could shelter Hamas fighters.
New satellite images published by The New York Times on Thursday show the vast scale of destruction in Gaza’s Sabra neighborhood after three weeks of Israeli operations. Pictures from Planet Labs taken on Aug. 8 show dozens of intact buildings and makeshift refugee camps. A second set, taken on Aug. 25, shows most structures reduced to rubble and tents gone.
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Satellite images reveal Gaza City outskirts in ruins
(Photo: Samuel Granados, Planet Labs)
The Times reported Israeli tanks have also been operating in the nearby Zeitoun district, with destruction there resembling the devastation in Rafah in the south and Beit Hanoun in the north. Israeli commanders say the Zeitoun operation, launched earlier this month, is meant to pave the way for the broader Gaza City assault.
On the ground, residents describe relentless bombardments. “It breaks your heart to see your friends’ houses in ruins,” said Fadi al-Saifi, 33, of Sabra. He said powerful blasts shake his home “all day long,” but he and his brother stayed behind to guard their property from looters. Reuters reported shelling in Zeitoun, Shijaiyah and Sabra.
The military released footage from a kilometer-long tunnel discovered in Zeitoun by the 7th Armored Brigade. Days earlier, fighters had emerged from one of its shafts to attack Israeli troops but were repelled. Israel says it has killed about 60 terrorists in the neighborhood in recent weeks, though most of the estimated 400 fighters in Hamas’ Zeitoun Battalion are believed to have fled deeper into Gaza City, sheltering among civilians.
Officials say Israel’s aim is to level as many buildings as possible to collapse tunnels beneath and deny Hamas places to hide. While small guerrilla units remain behind, laying roadside bombs and ambushing troops from ruins, commanders say Hamas’ infrastructure in Zeitoun is being systematically dismantled. In one case, soldiers uncovered seven large roadside explosives, each powerful enough to flip a Merkava tank.
According to the army, the Zeitoun campaign is expected to conclude within two weeks before shifting under the 36th Division for the major Gaza City offensive, codenamed Operation Gideon's Chariots II. The strategy mirrors earlier operations in Shijaiyah, where Israeli forces flattened large sections of the neighborhood.
Israel has not ruled out a partial hostage deal with Hamas, but says its primary objective remains to dismantle the terrorist group’s military command or force it into full surrender.