Israel strikes over 150 targets in Gaza City offensive

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reports striking over 150 targets in Gaza City since launching its ground operation.

The IDF reported on 17/9 that its air force and artillery have targeted these locations since ground troops entered Gaza City two days prior.

IDF-released video shows high-rise buildings and other ground targets in Gaza City being hit by Israeli bombs, missiles, and artillery fire.

Prior to the ground operation on 16/9, the IDF targeted a Hamas weapons manufacturing facility in Gaza City where members of the group's explosives unit were gathered. The strike resulted in secondary explosions, confirming the presence of weapons inside, according to the IDF.

Israeli strikes on Gaza City shown in a video posted on 17/9. Video: IDF

As bombing continues, the IDF is opening a "temporary route via Salah al-Din Road" for Gaza City residents to evacuate. This corridor will be open for 48 hours, starting midday today.

Salah al-Din Road runs north-south through the Gaza Strip. Previously, the IDF urged Gaza City residents to evacuate south via a coastal route to a humanitarian zone.

The UN estimates that around one million people lived in and around Gaza City, the largest city in the Gaza Strip, as of the end of August. The IDF estimates that 2,000-3,000 Hamas fighters are in central Gaza City.

An AFP reporter witnessed a new wave of evacuations from the area in recent days. The IDF stated today that over 350,000 residents have moved south.

However, many residents believe there is nowhere safe in the Gaza Strip and are choosing to stay in their homes.

Destruction in Gaza City after an Israeli strike on 15/9. Photo: AP

The Hamas-run civil defense in Gaza reported at least 12 people were killed by Israeli fire on the morning of 17/9. Hamas has accused Israel of "systematic ethnic cleansing" of the people of Gaza.

The UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) concluded on 16/9 that "genocide is occurring and will continue to occur in the Gaza Strip." Israel called the report "false" and demanded the COI's immediate dissolution.

Qatar today joined calls for Israel to halt its Gaza City operation, calling it a "continuation of the genocide against the Palestinian people". Several other countries have also condemned Israel's escalated military activity in the Gaza Strip.