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Israel Declares Gaza City a Combat Zone, Begins Initial Assault and Recovers Two Hostage Bodies

Aid groups warn the expanded push will choke deliveries, forcing mass displacement in an area already declared to be in famine.

Ilan Weiss was 56 when he was killed while trying to defend kibbutz Be'eri from Hamas on October 7, 2023.
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An Israeli army battle tank in the Gaza Strip near the border with southern Israel on Aug. 29. Israel is preparing to widen its offensive in Gaza City.

Overview

  • The Israeli military said local humanitarian pauses no longer apply in Gaza City, calling it a dangerous combat zone and confirming it has begun preliminary operations on the city's outskirts.
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the bodies of Ilan Weiss and another hostage were recovered, with roughly 50 hostages still in Gaza and about 20 believed alive.
  • UN agencies and relief organizations cautioned that an expanded offensive could displace up to about 1 million people and further cripple hospital capacity, with the UN warning half of beds could be lost.
  • Israel previously approved plans to seize the city and called up around 60,000 reservists, as the military’s Arabic-language spokesman has signaled Gaza City’s evacuation is inevitable.
  • Reuters reported indirect ceasefire talks in Doha have broken off with no deal, while Gaza health officials report more than 62,000 deaths as the UN-linked IPC last week declared a famine in Gaza governorate.