Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Gaza City is witnessing one of the most intense phases of the ongoing conflict as Israeli tanks and warplanes pound urban neighborhoods, triggering mass displacement and a near-total communication blackout across the besieged territory. The latest escalation has deepened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and reverberated across the region, including a deadly shooting on the West Bank-Jordan border.
On Thursday, residents of Gaza reported seeing Israeli tanks advancing into two neighborhoods that serve as gateways to the city’s center. Simultaneously, internet and phone lines were severed throughout the coastal enclave, in what observers believe signals a significant intensification of ground operations.
Thick plumes of smoke billowed over Gaza as Israeli forces bombarded the city from the air and ground. The United Nations warned that the military campaign has led to “new waves of displacement” and pushed Gaza’s already overstretched hospitals to the brink of collapse.
Witnesses on the ground described scenes of chaos and desperation. Families fled on foot, in cars, or on donkey-drawn carts, carrying what little they could salvage from their homes. “People are leaving with nothing just bags, children, and fear,” said one resident.
The Israeli offensive comes amid continued efforts to seize control of Gaza City from Hamas. The Israeli military has signaled that its goal is full domination of the area, and recent operations have focused on breaching the city’s central zones. The eastern outskirts are reportedly under Israeli control, while armored units have been spotted moving toward dense civilian areas such as Sheikh Radwan and Tel al-Hawa—neighborhoods previously hit by heavy shelling.
Israel’s intensified campaign also includes widespread airstrikes and the reported use of ground-based autonomous vehicles rigged with explosives to demolish buildings and underground infrastructure. Human rights organizations and international agencies have raised alarms over the pace and scale of the destruction, with access to medical aid and emergency services now severely limited.
Meanwhile, tensions are flaring beyond Gaza. On the same day, two Israelis were killed in a shooting incident at the Allenby Bridge border crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan. Israeli media reported that a gunman opened fire at the crossing, a vital transit point for Palestinians and a sensitive geopolitical location. The attacker, reportedly a Jordanian truck driver transporting humanitarian aid, was shot and killed by Israeli forces.
The attack underscores the growing regional volatility, with violence no longer confined to Gaza alone. Israeli officials have voiced concerns that the war is beginning to destabilize areas previously seen as relatively secure.
Amid the violence, international diplomatic efforts have struggled to produce tangible results. A meeting between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump exposed diverging views between the two leaders. While both agreed on the urgent need for a roadmap to peace, Trump expressed disagreement with Starmer’s openness to recognizing Palestine as a sovereign state.
“We are absolutely aligned on the need for peace and a long-term solution,” said Starmer, adding that the situation in Gaza has become “untenable.” Trump, however, responded bluntly: “I disagree with the Prime Minister on that—on recognizing Palestinian statehood. It’s one of the few differences we have.”
As diplomatic channels falter and military operations intensify, Gaza’s civilian population remains trapped in a shrinking and increasingly perilous space. International aid organizations continue to warn of an impending collapse of essential services, and the blackout of telecommunications has made coordination and relief efforts nearly impossible.
With over 65,000 deaths reported in Gaza since the outbreak of war two years ago, and a health system on the verge of failure, the humanitarian cost of this conflict is rising with each passing hour. And yet, despite the growing outcry, a resolution appears as distant as ever.
