BREAKING: Tanks in the heart of Gaza City – and powerful airstrikes
Dramatic reports from the Gaza Strip, after weeks of preparations for Operation “Gideon’s Chariots II,” which included the toppling of towers and the departure of hundreds of thousands: drones and helicopters opened fire, along with artillery.
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Gaza City endured powerful Israeli airstrikes pounding multiple neighborhoods following days of toppling high-rises and the mass evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents. The escalation comes against the backdrop of preparations for Operation “Gideon’s Chariots II.”
Palestinian sources reported a “belt of fire” in northwestern Gaza City, with skies glowing orange from a barrage of strikes. Shortly afterward, tanks were reportedly seen on Al-Jalaa Street in the heart of the city, prompting a mass flight of civilians.
Witnesses described IDF forces firing illumination shells and artillery in northern Gaza, with combat helicopters carrying out part of the assault.
According to Palestinian accounts, 37 strikes were launched within just 20 minutes. Explosions were felt as far away as central Israel and the Sharon region.
Overnight, the offensive spread across several neighborhoods in Gaza City, including Sheikh Radwan, Al-Karama, Tel al-Hawa, and the beachfront area.
Reports claimed the use of “booby-trapped robots” alongside heavy bombardments, artillery fire, and the continuous hovering of Apache helicopters unleashing sustained gunfire.
The intensity of the strikes forced residents in northwestern Gaza to flee eastward and southward.
“The road south is very congested, traffic is slow, many families struggle to find transport, and prices have risen sharply,” one account said.
According to military sources, the main strikes are concentrated in the Rimal neighborhood near the coastline and in the northwestern part of Gaza City.
According to officials in the Southern Command, this involves a “target bank” prepared over recent months by Military Intelligence, the Southern Command, and the Shin Bet as part of the preparations for the conquest of Gaza City. The purpose of the initial assault was to hit command centers, tunnels, weapons depots, launch sites, routes where explosive devices had been planted, and hiding places of terror cells, as well as to carry out ambushes.