Siege Of Gaza City

The siege of Gaza City began on 2 November 2023, when Israel Defense Forces (IDF) surrounded Gaza City. The siege is part of the ongoing Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, which was a counterattack to the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Gaza City is the most populated city in the Gaza Strip and the battle started on 30 October 2023, when Israel and Hamas clashed in Gaza City. According to Oxfam, there are about 500,000 Palestinians, along with 200 Israelis and other captives, currently trapped in a "siege within a siege" in northern Gaza.

Siege

2 November

On 2 November, Israeli troops encircled Gaza city as the Palestinian death toll rose above 9,000. Israeli troops have met fierce resistance upon advancing towards the gates of Gaza city. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters left their tunnels to fire at incoming Israeli tanks, before heading back into their large underground network. The Israeli military reported to have lost the commander of its 53rd battalion in the battle, Lieutenant-Colonel Salman Habaka, who was believed to be the most senior Israeli officer killed since Israeli ground operations in the Gaza strip began on 27 October. This guerilla-style combat has forced Israel into a ground war instead of relying on its powerful airforce to hit Hamas hide-outs from above.

Israel acknowledged that Hamas was "well-prepared" for the battle, claiming that there were "minefields and booby traps" that hindered access to the city. A resident of Gaza City reported that Israel shelled the city throughout the whole night but still could not advance through city limits. The Israel Defense Forces published the names of five soldiers who were killed during combat on 2 November, raising the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since the invasion of the Gaza Strip to 24.

An Israeli airstrike destroyed a residential building in Bureij refugee camp south of Gaza city, killing at least 15 and burying dozens more under rubble. The airstrike took place in the southern zone of the Gaza Strip, which Israel had ordered residents of northern Gaza to evacuate to on 13 October. On the same day, Israeli airstrikes bombed an area of apartment towers in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, just 100 meters away from Al-Quds Hospital, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

3 November

On 3 November, an Israeli drone missile targeted a medical convoy of ambulances that were carrying 15–20 critically wounded patients near the front gate of Al-Shifa Hospital, who were leaving to the Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt to seek treatment abroad. On the same day, an Israeli airstrike bombed Osama bin Zaid school in northern Gaza, which was run by the UNRWA, killing over 20 people. The UNRWA said that at least 1,000 people took refuge in the school since the start of the war. Israel claimed to have lost 18 soldiers and killed dozens of militants on 3 November.

4 November

On 4 November, Israeli forces bombed the UN-run al-Fakhoora school in Jabalia refugee camp, which had been sheltering displaced people, killing at least 15 people and wounding 54, mostly women and children. Israel had also targeted solar panels and generators, including solar panels on top of hospitals. These were the only source of electricity in Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade on the Gaza Strip on 9 October. The Israeli army had bombed the Ali bin Abi Talib and Al-Istijabah mosques in al-Sabra neighborhood. Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades said that their fighters have killed 5 more Israeli soldiers in a building northwest of Gaza City, after attacking the force with machine guns and bombs. Al-Qassam Brigades have stated that they are fighting on multiple fronts, including northwest of Gaza City, south of Gaza City, in Beit Hanoun and northeastern Gaza Strip. Hamas fighters have destroyed 24 Israeli military vehicles, including a tank, an armoured personnel carrier, and a bulldozer with anti-armour weapons, notably 105 Al-Yassin rocket-propelled grenades in the past two days.

5 November

On 5 November, the Israel Defense Forces bombed al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 30 to 51 people, mostly women and children. The Israeli bombing destroyed the Sam'an family's home in the refugee camp and caused severe damage to neighboring homes and infrastructure.

IDF released footage of fighting near the Hamad Hospital (Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics), including Hamas fighters firing from the hospital and using tunnels near the hospital building. Daniel Hagari, the head of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, said in a statement that Israel had fully surrounded Gaza City; "Israeli media" indicated that the IDF was going to enter the city itself in two days. Communication outages were also reported in Gaza due to the fighting.

7 November

On 7 November, Israel claimed to have reached the "heart of Gaza City," however there is no evidence or indication on the ground that Israeli forces pushed further into the city. Hamas announced that its fighters were inflicting heavy losses and damage on advancing Israeli forces. Benjamin Netanyahu suggested a plan for Israel to be responsible for Gaza's overall security for an "indefinite period" after the war, although this was opposed by the United States. US President Joe Biden argued that "a reoccupation by Israeli forces of Gaza is not the right thing to do."

8 November

On 8 November, 50,000 Gazans fled south via the evacuation window according to the Israeli government, amid fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces in Gaza City. Some compared the mass movements to the Nakba of 1948. Daniel Hagari claimed that the IDF were destroying underground tunnels of Hamas and seizing weapons, including more than 700 RPGs. It is unclear whether Israeli troops were fighting inside the city. An Israeli airstrike on a house near a hospital in Jabalia refugee camp killed at least 19 people. As a result of the Israeli total blockade of Gaza, Al-Quds Hospital ran out of fuel and was forced to shut down most operations, while also suffering daily Israeli bombardments around the medical complex since 5 November. The hospital turned off its main generator and resorted to operating a smaller generator to provide essential services to its 500 patients and 14,000 internally displaced people sheltering there.

9 November

On 9 November, Israel launched a "series of violent raids" in northern Gaza, creating a "fire belt" in the eastern side of northern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Interior Ministry. Israeli jets bombed several homes in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, killing at least 7 Palestinians. An Israeli airstrike bombed Al-Buraq School in Lababidi Street in the Al-Nasr neighbourhood, north of Gaza City, which was being used by the UNRWA as a shelter. At least 50 people were killed in the attack, with multiple injuries reported. The Israeli military claimed to have killed 50 Hamas fighters in Gaza City in the last few days. Hamas said that an Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza was killed and another was injured in an Israeli air raid on central Gaza.

10 November

On 10 November, at least 50 people were killed after Israeli missiles and artillery attacked a school in Gaza sheltering internally displaced people. Israeli tanks surrounded several hospitals in Gaza according to health officials, while al-Shifa hospital came under attack five times in the past 24 hours. By 10 November, over 50% of housing units across Gaza were destroyed by relentless Israeli bombardment.

Siege of the Al-Shifa Hospital (12 November – 15 November)

Starting on 12 November, Israel Defense Forces began a siege of the Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza, based on intelligence that Hamas' command center is under the hospital. The Israeli army directly attacked the hospital, where thousands of wounded and displaced people are trapped amid heavy bombardment. The situation at al-Shifa Hospital is part of a serious healthcare crisis in Gaza. The hospital is rapidly running out of electricity, food and medical supplies. The last generator ran out of fuel, killing three premature babies and four other patients. Another 36 children are at risk of death. On 15 November, the IDF raided the hospital.

18 November

On 18 November, Israeli airstrikes over 80 civilians in Jabalia refugee camp in north Gaza.

21 November

On 21 November, the IDF moved its frontline to encircle Jabalia refugee camp where they were fighting Palestinian militants.

Reactions

* : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had previously rejected calls for a ceasefire, announced "We are advancing... Nothing will stop us" and vowed to destroy Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu had also suggested a plan for Israel to be responsible for Gaza's overall security for an "indefinite period" after the war.
* : Al-Qassam spokesman Abu Obeida said that Israel's death toll in Gaza was much higher than the military had announced, and stated "Your soldiers will return in black bags."
* : President of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Mahmoud Abbas, stated that Israel was violating international law. Abbas told US secretary of state Antony Blinken "I have no words to describe the genocide and destruction suffered by our Palestinian people in Gaza at the hands of Israel’s war machine, with no regard for the principles of international law."
* : Secretary-General of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah warned the United States in a speech that preventing a regional conflict depended on ending the Israeli bombardments of Gaza, and threatened that the clashes along the Israel-Lebanon border could escalate into a full-scale war. He also hinted that Hezbollah was ready to confront US warships in the Eastern Mediterranean.
* : High commissioner of the UN expressed concern that Israel's "disproportionate attacks... could amount to war crimes." UN human rights chief Volker Turk said that the Israeli sieges are illegal under international law.
* : US President Joe Biden said "I think we need a pause" in a speech.
* : Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized those who remain silent amid the escalating suffering and expressed that only individuals with a 'heart of stone' could remain indifferent, particularly to the plight of the children in the region.
* : The Algerian parliament unanimously voted to authorize President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to militarily enter the war in support of Palestine with a 100% vote. Algeria is the second Arab country that looks to enter the war against Israel, following the Houthi's declaration of war on Israel two days prior.
* : The UAE warned that there was a risk of a regional spillover from the war in Gaza. It claimed that it was working "relentlessly" to secure a humanitarian ceasefire.
* : Saudi Arabia announced a government campaign to collect humanitarian aid for Gaza, which gathered more than 60,000 donations worth $17 million in its first few hours. King Salman donated $8 million, while Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman donated around $5.3 million. Saudi officials issued statements condemning the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, urgently pleading for a ceasefire and calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
* : The foreign ministry of Oman demanded the establishment of an international court to investigate war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. The ministry also called for "the prosecution of war criminals in all the massacres committed" and condemned the attacks on two schools sheltering civilians, the entrance of a hospital and a public water tank in the past 24 hours.
* : Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he was breaking off contact with Benjamin Netanyahu due to Israel's actions in Gaza. Erdogan stated "Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have written him off."
* : Honduran president Xiomara Castro recalled its ambassador due to "the grave humanitarian situation the Palestinian civilian population suffers in the Gaza Strip." The Israeli foreign ministry criticized this decision and said the move ignores Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas.
* : The Qatari foreign ministry strongly condemned the Israeli bombing of al-Fakhoora school and hospitals in Gaza.

See also

* Battle of Gaza (2007)
* List of battles in the 21st century
* List of engagements during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
* Outline of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
* 2023 Gaza humanitarian crisis

References

2023 in the Gaza Strip
Battles during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Gaza–Israel conflict
Military operations involving Israel
History of Gaza City
Battles in 2023
21st-century sieges
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