Since Tuesday night, Israel has been entering Gaza City with its troops - a risky maneuver with potentially terrible consequences for the population and the hostages.
After prolonged bombing, Israel has launched a ground offensive in Gaza City - despite all warnings, including from the Israeli military. Heavy fighting is expected with Hamas - the organization that many Western countries classify as terrorist. According to Palestinian data, at least 35 people have been killed by Tuesday morning alone. But the offensive will also have far greater political and humanitarian consequences. Here are the most important questions and answers about it.
How badly has Gaza City been affected?
Gaza City has been repeatedly attacked by the Israeli army in the past, which has also affected schools, refugee camps and temporary shelters. At the end of May this year, Israel bombed a school that had been converted into a refugee camp. According to Palestinian data, 33 people were killed in the shelling and dozens were injured - mostly children. Israel claims that the strikes were directed against Palestinian terrorists.
As in the Gaza Strip, the infrastructure in Gaza City has also been seriously damaged. In the Gaza municipality alone, the damage amounted to 7.29 billion dollars, Al Jazeera reported in April 2024, citing a report by the UN and the World Bank. Another report published in September by the UN lists 36,611 damaged buildings, of which 8,578 were completely destroyed.
According to UN data, 796,000 people have fled their homes since mid-March, 95 percent of whom are residents of Gaza City.
How strong is Hamas still?
Israel estimates that up to 3,000 fighters of the Islamist terrorist organization are currently in the city. In an interview with DW in early September, military expert Marina Miron from London's "King's College" said that it is difficult to assess how combat-ready Hamas still is, but it is clear that the organization continues to control the city and the fighting is likely to be heavy and bloody. "This will be an extremely difficult operation because Hamas has nothing left to lose," Miron said.
In a September 2 document, the Jewish-American lobbying organization "J-Street" reported a significant weakening of Hamas. Before the war, the organization's military wing had about 30,000 fighters, organized into five brigades and 24 battalions. According to the Israeli military, up to 23,000 of these fighters were killed and 20 battalions were destroyed.
Hamas has transformed from a paramilitary organization into a decentralized guerrilla group. Despite heavy losses, it has reportedly recruited up to 30,000 new fighters, most of whom have no combat experience, J-Street reports.
What does the offensive mean for the population?
According to the UN, almost all of Gaza's roughly two million residents have already fled the nearly two-year-long war, many of them repeatedly. Now hundreds of thousands more are having to flee, and UN estimates suggest that the already devastated city could become "virtually uninhabitable" as a result of the heavy bombardment.
According to the Israeli military, as of Tuesday morning, about 40 percent of civilians had already left the city. Agencies report that the army has called on people in Gaza to move to a so-called humanitarian zone in the southern part of the coastal strip. But there have also been repeated deadly attacks there.
Edouard Beigbede, UNICEF's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, warned on Tuesday of the "devastating consequences for more than 450,000 children" who are already traumatized and exhausted. In late August, the UN and other humanitarian organizations declared a state of famine in the Gaza Strip, which includes Gaza City.
What does the offensive mean for the Israeli hostages?
The ground offensive also threatens the lives of the hostages. In late August, the Jerusalem Post quoted Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas's military wing, who has since been killed by the Israeli army, as saying that Israeli hostages are living in the same dangerous conditions in combat zones as Hamas fighters. The "combat zones" refers to Gaza City.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, also believes that the lives of the hostages are at risk from the ground offensive. "The ongoing attack to capture the last remnants of Gaza will endanger not only the Palestinians but also the remaining Israeli hostages," she said at a press conference in Geneva.
How is the offensive being received in Israel?
The forum of relatives of hostages held by Hamas has expressed great concern over the overnight takeover of Gaza City. After 710 nights in the hands of the terrorists, "this night could be the last for the hostages", the forum said in a statement quoted by DPA.
Criticism of the war in Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans is also growing among the rest of the Israeli population. Mass protests are constantly being organized, the last of which was about a week ago in front of Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem. Thousands of people have called on him to make a deal with Hamas because they fear for the lives of their loved ones if Gaza City is taken.
According to recent surveys by the nonpartisan Israel Democratic Institute, about two-thirds of the Israeli population support an agreement that would release all hostages in exchange for a cessation of fighting and a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip. The IDI notes that for most people, the fate of the hostages and their own soldiers is of the utmost importance, not so much the situation of the Palestinians.
How has the Arab world reacted?
The reactions in the Arab world have been rather restrained. On Monday, a summit of Arab and Islamic heads of state and government was held in Doha, at which some of them criticized Israel's actions in Gaza. The host of the meeting, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, even accused Israel of genocide - a charge that was categorically rejected. And Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi described Israel as an "enemy" - despite the peace treaty signed between Israel and Egypt in 1979.
But not all politicians present in Doha agreed with the harsh language, and in the end the final declaration contained a demand "to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people". It also stated that "all states" should "review their diplomatic and economic relations with Israel" and take legal action against the country.
It is not excluded that some countries such as the United Arab Emirates or Bahrain will take further steps, said Philipp Dienstbier, head of the regional program for the Persian Gulf countries of the "Konrad Adenauer" Foundation, in an interview with DW. Several years ago, the two countries signed agreements with Israel to normalize relations, but they are probably not ready to maintain these agreements at any cost, says Dienstbier.