Israeli tanks pushed deeper into several densely populated neighbourhoods of Gaza City on Sunday, leaving thousands of civilians trapped under heavy bombardment and unable to reach medical care.
Witnesses and medics told Reuters that tanks entered residential areas, including Sabra, Tal al-Hawa, Sheikh Radwan, and al-Nasser. The incursions bring Israeli forces closer to the centre and western districts of Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering.
Health officials reported dozens of desperate calls for help from residents, but said they could not respond due to the intensity of the military assault. The Civil Emergency Service confirmed that Israel had denied 73 requests, submitted via international organisations, to rescue wounded people in the city.
The ground offensive, launched on 16 September after weeks of heavy air strikes and remote-controlled robot bombings, has triggered mass displacement. According to the World Food Programme, between 350,000 and 400,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City in the past month, though hundreds of thousands remain.
Air strikes on Sunday killed at least 21 people, including five in Gaza City’s western al-Nasser area and 16 more in attacks on homes in central Gaza. The health ministry said 77 people were killed in the past 24 hours alone, bringing the overall death toll since October 2023 to 66,005.
The assault has deepened Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe. Four hospitals in Gaza City have shut down this month, according to the World Health Organisation, while the UN reports that several malnutrition centres have also closed due to the siege.
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