Israel began a new ground offensive into Gaza City on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, urging residents to evacuate south as armor and infantry moved under what the Israel Defense Forces called an “expanded ground operation.”
The push, Israeli officials said, is aimed at dismantling Hamas infrastructure, consolidating earlier gains, and driving deeper into the urban core after days of heavy airstrikes.
Expanded ground operation under Gideon’s Chariots
The IDF said the assault is a direct continuation of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, the multiweek campaign that targeted Hamas positions in southern and central Gaza to set conditions for a renewed advance in the north.
Military spokespeople said multiple divisions began rolling at first light, tightening control over key corridors and intersections inside the city.
An Israeli military official, speaking under customary anonymity, estimated that 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas militants remain in Gaza City, supported by an extensive tunnel network. The objective, the official said, is to fracture those defensive cells, cut their lines of movement, and deny them the ability to regroup.
Heavy strikes and casualties reported
The new ground phase follows a sustained air campaign. Israeli commanders said the air force struck more than 850 targets in and around Gaza City over the past week, claiming the attacks killed hundreds of Hamas fighters and destroyed positions designed to slow a ground incursion.
Bomb damage assessments, they said, were used to plan routes for advancing forces and to reduce ambush risks.
Palestinian medical officials reported severe bombardment across the metropolitan area on Tuesday morning.
By midday, Shifa Hospital had received the bodies of 34 people killed in strikes, with dozens more wounded arriving at the facility, according to hospital staff. “A very tough night in Gaza. The bombing did not stop for a single moment,” said Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, the hospital’s director.
The figures could not be independently verified amid active fighting.
Evacuation orders and displacement figures
Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, warned civilians that Gaza City is now a “dangerous combat zone.” He urged residents to evacuate via the Al-Rashid corridor south of Wadi Gaza, by vehicle or on foot, and said more than 40 percent of the city’s population had already left.
The military estimated that 350,000 people have fled since warnings intensified, roughly one third of the pre-offensive population.
That claim differs from a United Nations estimate issued Monday that put recent departures from northern Gaza at a little over 220,000 over the past month. Long lines of cars and trucks were seen heading down the coastal road, many piled with mattresses and household goods, while groups without transport walked in columns.
Humanitarian agencies say safe passage remains precarious as combat shifts block to block. Aid groups have urged regular pauses and clearly marked corridors to prevent bottlenecks and to allow evacuations from hospitals and schools sheltering displaced families. Israeli officials reiterate that corridors are published in Arabic and updated frequently, but they also acknowledge that combat conditions can change quickly.
Troop movements and stated objectives
The IDF said several frontline formations have been mobilized for the new phase. Units from the 98th, 162nd, and 36th Divisions, in both mandatory and reserve service, are spearheading the push into Gaza City as part of what commanders referred to as “Gideon’s Chariots II.”
The Gaza Division is focused on maintaining a security zone along the border facing western Negev communities and conducting operations in Rafah and Khan Yunis, while the 99th Division is assigned to the northern strip.
Officers described a sequence of actions typical of dense urban fighting, rapid penetrations to seize high ground, methodical building clearance, and engineering work to locate tunnels. Commanders said they are prioritizing routes that separate militant cells from residential clusters, with the stated goal of reducing civilian harm while keeping pressure on Hamas units.
