Israel’s newly announced plan to intensify its military campaign in Gaza—displacing more residents and taking control of aid delivery—has sparked deep fear and desperation among Palestinians already suffering from nearly two years of conflict.
Since the collapse of a temporary ceasefire in March, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid, worsening a dire food crisis and forcing thousands back into displacement. Monday’s announcement of a broader offensive has left residents like Aya, a 30-year-old from Gaza City, fearing for their lives. “Are we going to die this time?” she asked.
At a funeral in Gaza City for victims of an Israeli airstrike, resident Mohammed al-Seikaly lamented, “There is nothing left in Gaza that hasn’t been hit. What’s left to bomb?”
On Tuesday alone, at least 46 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes, including 29 people—many of them women and children—at a school-turned-shelter in the Bureij refugee camp. Israel claimed it had targeted a Hamas command center at the site, though it did not comment on a reported second strike.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the expanded operation would be “intensive,” include holding territory, and involve relocating civilians “for their own safety.” One Israeli official said the plan aimed to prevent Hamas from accessing aid.
The United Nations condemned the move as counterproductive, while residents warned of potential forced starvation. Tamer, a man from Khan Younis, feared Israel could manipulate food access as a control tool: “Will they arrest people and kill others before letting anyone in?”
The World Food Programme recently reported that it had run out of food in Gaza. With flour prices soaring to $500 a sack, residents like Aya say they are being starved into surrender. “Let them take their prisoners and end the war. Enough.”
The war, triggered by Hamas’ deadly attack on October 7, 2023, has claimed more than 52,000 Palestinian lives, according to local authorities.