The Interior Ministry in Gaza has warned that Israel’s newly announced plan to invade Gaza City amounts to a death sentence for more than 1.2 million people currently sheltering there. Officials described the move as a looming humanitarian catastrophe and a flagrant war crime, stressing that it mirrors the devastation already inflicted on Rafah, Khan Younis, and northern Gaza.

For nearly two weeks, neighbourhoods such as Zaytoun and Sabra have faced relentless bombardment, with earlier destruction in Shuja’iyya, Tuffah, and Daraj providing a chilling preview of what could come. The ministry said that Israel’s intention to besiege and forcibly evacuate residents from Gaza City would leave civilians trapped in ever smaller, uninhabitable spaces, stripped of even the most basic necessities of life.

Israel has already begun making what it terms “warning calls” to medical organisations and international bodies, signalling its preparations for forcible expulsions ahead of a planned ground re-occupation of the city. Defence Minister Yisrael Katz has signed off on the operation, codenamed “Gideon’s Chariots 2,” which has also received full approval from the country’s leadership. The plan foresees the displacement of vast numbers of civilians, alongside intensive ground and aerial assaults.

Since October 2023, Gaza has endured nearly two years of systematic destruction: more than 62,000 killed, over 157,000 injured, thousands missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and famine spreading through the enclave. The latest plan threatens to deepen the catastrophe, raising urgent calls for the international community to act decisively to prevent Gaza City from meeting the same fate as so many other obliterated towns.