IDF plans strikes on Gaza City structures allegedly used for military purposes

The Israeli military said it plans to carry out targeted strikes in Gaza City in the coming days against structures it says have been converted for use in military operations.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), intelligence gathering has identified positions for snipers and anti-tank fire, observation and command centers, and command-and-control compounds inside high-rise and other buildings in Gaza City. The IDF also said underground networks run adjacent to these structures, enabling ambushes and providing escape routes, Caliber.Az reports. 

In addition, Israeli officials said they had identified explosive devices planted near several buildings in the area, some connected to surveillance and communications systems for remote detonation.

The military said it would take precautions to minimise harm to civilians, including issuing warnings, using precision weapons, and conducting aerial surveillance. It called on civilians to avoid buildings and areas where military infrastructure is embedded or where active combat is taking place.

Health authorities in Gaza said Israeli fire across the enclave killed at least 53 people on September 4, most of them in Gaza City, where Israeli forces have pushed through the outer suburbs and are now within a few kilometers of the city center. Israel launched its latest offensive there on August 10, as part of what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described as a plan to defeat Hamas fighters in areas that saw some of the heaviest fighting during the early months of the war.

The campaign has drawn international criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and has sparked unusual levels of debate within Israel itself, with reports of friction between some military commanders and political leaders over strategy. Israel has told civilians to leave Gaza City for their safety, saying that 70,000 people have moved south. Palestinian officials dispute that figure, saying fewer than half have left and that many remain in the path of the Israeli advance.

Gaza health officials report that 370 people, including 131 children, have died from malnutrition and starvation amid severe food shortages, particularly in recent weeks. 

By Sabina Mammadli