As of August 29, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have officially designated Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone,” announcing that the localized humanitarian pauses previously scheduled daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. will no longer apply to the area. This decision marks a significant escalation of hostilities in Gaza’s largest city, where hundreds of thousands of internally displaced civilians had been relying on these pauses for aid deliveries. The abrupt cancellation of the tactical pauses signals an intensified military campaign focused on dismantling Hamas infrastructure embedded within the city.
In a parallel move, Israeli forces have retrieved the bodies of two hostages including Ilan Weiss, who were killed in the October 7, 2023, attack. Of the 251 hostages initially taken by Hamas, around 50 remain in Gaza, and Israeli officials estimate only about 20 may still be alive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu frames the operation as aimed at weakening Hamas and securing the remaining hostages.
Inside Gaza City, residents face a dire choice. Nearly one million people—many frail, malnourished, or too old to flee—are anticipated to be displaced by the widened offensive. While the IDF has urged civilians to evacuate south to the Mawasi tent city and promised aid centers and new water infrastructure, these measures are met with skepticism; critics argue evacuation may amount to forced displacement, and Mawasi lacks adequate infrastructure and services.
