Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
More strikes hit Gaza City and other parts of the Palestinian Strip on September 17, as Israeli troops advanced in a major offensive meant to defeat Hamas.
The Israeli Air Force and Artillery Corps have struck over 150 targets in Gaza City since the start of the offensive a day earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement, noting in another that the targets included tunnels, buildings used by “terror groups,” cells of operatives, and other infrastructure.
The IDF also revealed that just before launching its offensive it struck a Hamas weapons manufacturing workshop, where several operatives involved in building explosive devices were gathered. Secondary explosions were observed following the strike, according to the military.
Al-Jazzera said that recent Israeli strikes on the Strip claimed the lives of 62 Palestinians, with at least 40 getting killed in Gaza City.
At least 13 were, and others wounded, in a single Israeli strike that targeted the front of the gate of al-Shifa Hospital in the neighborhood of northern Rimal of Gaza City, the Qatari-owned news channel reported.
Separately, Hamas-run Ministry of Health said that an Israeli drone dropped grenades on one floor of the Rantissi children’s hospital in Gaza City’s Nasser neighborhood. No casualties were reported but the ministry said some 40 families took their children away.
“This hospital is the only specialist facility for children with cancer, kidney failure, and other life-threatening conditions – but even these gravely ill children are not spared from relentless bombardment,” said Fikr Shalltoot, Gaza director at the United Kingdom-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians.
The latest deaths brought the Palestinian death toll from the Israeli war to 65,062, with more than 165,697 others wounded.
The IDF’s 98th Division, an elite formation of paratroopers and commando units, is currently operating in Gaza City alongside the 162nd Division, which was already deployed there before the start of the offensive. A third division, the 36th, is set to join the offensive in the coming few days.
It is unclear how much of the city has been captured so far by Israeli troops, but the IDF said on September 17 that 400,000 Palestinians out of a million living there have already left in line with its evacuation order. With hundreds of thousands of people still present in the city, it is safe to assume that the IDF has not advanced much. At the same time, it is important to note that there have been no reports of any serious resistance from Hamas or any other Palestinian armed faction.
The offensive is supposedly meant to force Hamas to disarm, release all the remaining hostages and leave Gaza altogether. However, recent remarks by Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich suggest that permanent occupation is the real goal.
Smotrich was quoted by Hebrew media as saying that Gaza is a “real estate bonanza,” and that he is in talks with the United States on how to divide the Strip after the war.
There is “a real estate bonanza” in Gaza that “pays for itself” and he has “already started negotiations with the Americans,” the far-right minister reportedly said at a real estate conference in Tel Aviv.
“We have poured a lot of money into this war. We have to see how we are dividing up the land in percentages,” Smotrich added, noting that “the demolition, the first stage in the city’s renewal, we have already done. Now we just need to build.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has at times spoken of his desire to turn Gaza into an American-controlled “Riviera” in a move that would see Palestinians displaced from the Strip to other countries, permanently.
With talks on a new ceasefire-hostage deal on halt, the Israeli offensive will likely go on to the end. Still, Hamas will not likely accept any arrangement that does not guarantee a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.
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more likely 265000. if alexander the great couldn’t get rid of the gazans i find it highly unlikely the ephemeral israelis will.
‘ephemeral’ is the right descriptor for these murdering c*nts.
israel creates mythical claims daily using hamas as a scapegoat. without ever providing basis of proof.for international theater repeats. video proof of suffering is all we see. heartbreaking . so many children
50% of the population of gaza is under the age of 18.
also, i think trump spilled the beans in a press conference a couple months back when he discussed the future of the 1.7 million people living in gaza. the pre-war population was 2.2 million.
some aources put that figure even higher.
this is terrible, there is no real way these people even have a way to count losses. the daily claims made by israel are only lies . the world sees this clearly.
absolutely disgusting. couldn’t even watch.
the world??? we see the terrorists in ham ass. they are to blane for the suffering.
subhuman joo filth always blame their victims for their criminality.
don’t worry hamas has plenty of home welcome gifts for the occupiers when they get to the party.
what the world failed to understand is after gaza and syrian, lebanon, jordan and iran are next. additionally, the zionists not only plan to take over russia but also the entire africa: morroco, tunisia, libya and egypt are already under the mossad.
my doughter is sorry cunt, and have smelly ass. she got very good fans only.
blame the terrorists in ham ass.
put the blame where it lies, on the subhuman bloodthirsty genocidal satanic joo filth.
what’s ‘ham ass’ ? is it the rear end of some joo ?
don’t worry hamas has plenty of home welcome gifts for the occupiers when they get to the party. i can’t wait for hamas to start dropping the rats after letting the rats into the trap.
hamas is presumably avoiding open battles it can’t win, attacking instead on the flanks and rear. western hypocrisy on the ukraine war versus gaza genocide is of course very obvious.
shame on hamas. shame on islam.