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Israeli forces destroyed at least 30 residential buildings in Gaza City on Sunday, forcing thousands of people from their homes, according to Palestinian officials. The assault came as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the region to discuss the future of the conflict and meet with Israeli leaders.
Israel has declared its intention to take control of Gaza City, home to about a million displaced Palestinians, as part of its campaign to eliminate Hamas. Over the past week, Israeli forces carried out five waves of airstrikes targeting more than 500 sites, including suspected Hamas positions, tunnel entrances, and weapons depots. Officials in Gaza said at least 45 people were killed on Sunday alone. Hamas reported that since August 11, Israeli strikes have destroyed over 1,600 residential buildings and 13,000 tents.
The offensive follows Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 251 hostages. Israel’s military campaign, now in its second year, has killed more than 64,000 people in Gaza, according to local authorities. Many of the casualties are civilians, though Israel says its targets are Hamas fighters and infrastructure.
As Israeli ground forces push deeper into Gaza City, large parts of eastern suburbs have already been turned into wastelands. Tens of thousands of people have fled south, but hundreds of thousands remain. Many residents say they lack the means to move or believe nowhere in Gaza is safe. Some are waiting for the outcome of an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Qatar on Monday, hoping leaders there can pressure Israel to halt its planned offensive.
Conditions for civilians have sharply deteriorated. Gaza’s health ministry reported two more deaths from malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to at least 422 people, including 145 children. Aid groups warn that an Israeli takeover of Gaza City would be catastrophic, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis. Although Israel has allowed some aid into Gaza since late July, the United Nations says far more is needed. UNRWA, the main U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, says its health and sanitation services in Gaza City are now operating at half capacity, and several of its buildings have been struck in recent days.
During his visit, Rubio said Washington’s priority was to discuss how to free the remaining 48 hostages believed to be in Gaza, though only 20 are thought to be alive, and to consider rebuilding plans for the devastated enclave. He also visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem, reaffirming U.S. recognition of the city as Israel’s capital, a policy first formalized under Donald Trump in 2017. Rubio is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before leaving on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, tensions with regional allies are rising. An Israeli airstrike in Doha last week targeted members of Hamas’ political leadership, sparking widespread condemnation and anger in Qatar, a key U.S. ally. American officials described the strike as an unnecessary escalation that undermined U.S. diplomatic efforts. At the same time, Netanyahu has approved a settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, a move criticized by the United Arab Emirates, which warned it could jeopardize the Abraham Accords that normalized relations between the two countries.
For those trapped inside Gaza City, the situation grows increasingly desperate. “The bombardment intensified everywhere and we took down the tents, more than twenty families, we do not know where to go,” said Musbah al-Kafarna, one of the displaced residents. Many Palestinians say they feel abandoned, left with no safe place to flee and little hope of relief.