For the fifth day in a row, Israeli occupation forces have carried out large-scale destruction in the Zaytoun neighbourhood, southeast of Gaza City, employing advanced military technologies such as booby-trapped robots and intense fire belts. The attacks have led to the collapse of dozens of homes and massacres that have forcibly displaced thousands of Palestinians.
As the largest district in Gaza City, Zaytoun has suffered continuous bombardment throughout the ongoing war of extermination. Israeli occupation forces have seized large sections of the area as part of what they refer to as “buffer zones”, aiming to depopulate residential neighbourhoods and turn them into lifeless ruins.
Eyewitnesses and local sources confirmed that Israeli occupation troops carried out systematic demolitions of homes in the southern part of the neighbourhood overnight and into Friday morning, using explosive-laden robots. This was accompanied by intense shelling and random gunfire, while warplanes bombarded Gaza’s main Street 8 with heavy fire belts. The neighbouring al-Sabra area was also hit, resulting in extensive destruction and severe damage to property.
Local estimates suggest that the military operation, now in its fifth day, has left dozens dead, many of them women, children, and entire families buried in their homes without any prior warning.
Large numbers of residents have been forced to flee towards central and western Gaza City, while others remain trapped in dangerous zones unreachable by ambulances or civil defence teams due to ongoing shelling and a tight blockade.
The neighbourhood is witnessing a deliberate campaign of destruction, with entire buildings being demolished and what remains levelled to the ground by military bulldozers, leaving behind vast fields of rubble and no signs of life.
These acts are part of a policy of collective punishment and represent a grave violation of residents’ rights to housing and safety. Under international law, such actions constitute war crimes.
In just the past three days, Israeli occupation forces have destroyed over 300 homes in Zaytoun, some of which were five-storey buildings full of residents, using highly explosive bombs. A complete blockade has been imposed on the southern and eastern parts of the area, preventing rescue teams from reaching the wounded. This has deepened the humanitarian catastrophe and denied urgent medical care to the injured.
The escalation in Zaytoun is part of a broader Israeli occupation’s plan to fully reoccupy the Gaza Strip, starting with taking control of Gaza City by displacing around one million Palestinians to the south, followed by incursions into residential areas and eventually taking over refugee camps in the central region.
It is estimated that between 80,000 and 100,000 reservist soldiers may be called up to take part in this operation, which targets densely populated areas with blatant disregard for the catastrophic humanitarian consequences.
Since the war of extermination began on 7 October 2023, Israeli occupation’s attacks and blockade on the Gaza Strip have resulted in over 61,776 deaths, 154,906 injuries, the majority of whom are women and children, more than 9,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and 239 deaths due to famine, including 106 children.
