Israel hits Gaza City campus as military orders fresh evacuations

The Israeli military destroyed another building of the Islamic University in Gaza City on Sunday, saying Hamas had used the facility to monitor Israeli soldiers and plan attacks.

Videos published by both Israeli and Palestinian media showed the building being struck and collapsing, and the military confirmed the attack. The claims could not be independently verified.

According to Palestinians, displaced Gazans had been sheltering on the grounds of the university, which has been targeted several times during the nearly two-year war.

The Israeli military had issued a fresh evacuation order for parts of Gaza City's Rimal neighbourhood and the port area, urging civilians to move immediately to the al-Mawasi "humanitarian zone" further south.

Israeli forces also hit the al-Kawthar residential tower, saying Hamas militants had installed intelligence-gathering equipment and observation posts there. The allegation could not be independently confirmed. Video footage showed the high-rise collapsing.

Israel has flattened dozens of high-rises in Gaza City, asserting that the Palestinian militant group Hamas uses residential towers for military purposes.

Israeli media reported that around 280,000 people have fled Gaza City, once home to roughly 1 million residents. The Hamas-run media office put the figure at about 350,000. Many civilians remain reluctant to relocate to designated safe zones, citing past Israeli attacks on such areas.

Israeli officials have said the airstrikes are part of preparations for a deeper ground offensive aimed at dismantling Hamas units believed to be based in Gaza City.

But the conservative daily Israel Hayom reported on Sunday significant resistance within the army's top ranks to the planned assault. Senior officials warned that, especially after the recent attack in Qatar, Israel could be endangering its national security "in an unprecedented way."

Security officials have questioned whether the operation can achieve its stated goal of destroying Hamas, warning it could last for months, jeopardize the lives of remaining hostages, cause heavy Israeli military losses and further isolate Israel internationally because of the images of destruction and civilian casualties emerging from Gaza.

The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 abducted. Israel says 48 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 of them believed to be alive.

The Hamas-run health authority in Gaza says more than 64,800 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. The tally does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but the figures are regarded as broadly credible by the United Nations.

Large parts of the densely populated territory have been devastated by Israeli bombardments. Critics accuse Israel of war crimes and, in some cases – including Spain’s government – of genocide. Israel insists it is acting in self-defence.