Israel Expands Gaza City Offensive, Strikes High-Rises and Destroys Hamas Command Tunnel

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intensified operations in Gaza City over the weekend, targeting Hamas command infrastructure, demolishing underground tunnels, and striking multiple high-rise buildings the military said were being used for terrorist activity.

The Nahal Brigade, operating under the IDF’s 99th Division, uncovered and destroyed a lengthy tunnel route in Gaza’s Zeitoun neighborhood that housed a Hamas command center. According to the army, the underground facility had been used by the group’s Zeitoun Battalion to coordinate attacks on Israeli troops. Forces also eliminated gunmen hiding in a nearby building, where they discovered an access shaft linked to the tunnel.

The IDF reported hitting dozens of additional targets in the area, including weapons depots and observation posts. An Arabic-language statement by IDF spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee urged civilians near Gaza City’s al-Ru’ya Tower to evacuate, warning the building would be struck because of Hamas infrastructure inside or nearby. The military has designated al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis, as a humanitarian safe zone.

For the third consecutive day, Israeli aircraft struck a Gaza City high-rise after issuing evacuation orders. The strike on the al-Ru’ya Tower killed one person, according to Gaza’s al-Quds Hospital, while the IDF accused Hamas of installing surveillance equipment and planting explosives around the structure. Israel also demolished the Mushtaha and al-Susi towers in recent days, with Defense Minister Israel Katz declaring the destruction marked the “opening of the gates of Hell in Gaza.”

Meanwhile, rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel for the first time in three weeks, triggering alarms in border communities and the town of Netivot. One rocket was intercepted and another landed in an open area. No injuries or damage were reported. Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the barrage.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday that more than 100,000 civilians have fled Gaza City amid the campaign. He accused Hamas of shooting women and children in the legs to prevent them from leaving and said Israel’s goal was to dismantle the group’s “last important stronghold” in the Strip.

With an estimated one million Palestinians still in Gaza City, the IDF has continued to issue evacuation warnings as it presses its largest ground operation since the October 7 Hamas attack that triggered the ongoing war.

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