Gaza Offensive Escalates as Death Toll Crosses 63,000

Israel declared Gaza City a combat zone on August 29, 2025, launching a major offensive that has drawn widespread international condemnation. The Gaza Health Ministry reported the death toll at 63,025, with 59 deaths in the last 24 hours and 322 malnutrition-related deaths, including 121 children, since the war began on October 7, 2023. The escalation, aimed at dismantling Hamas’s tunnel network, follows weeks of intensified strikes on the city’s outskirts, with plumes of smoke visible across the border in southern Israel.

The Israeli military suspended “tactical pauses” introduced last month to facilitate aid, calling up 20,000 reservists and urging residents to evacuate south. “We will intensify operations to retrieve all hostages and neutralize Hamas,” said army spokesperson Avichay Adraee. The UN reported 23,000 evacuations in the past week, but many residents, including 440 sheltering at the Holy Family Church, refuse to leave, citing no safe destinations. “We huddle near walls for protection,” said Farid Jubran, a church volunteer.

The offensive coincides with the recovery of two hostages’ remains, including Ilan Weiss, killed during Hamas’s October 7 attack that claimed 1,195 Israeli lives and abducted 251 people. Nearly 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed alive. Hamas’s Abu Obeida stated fighters are prepared but struggle to protect hostages amid heavy bombardment. Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged immediate ceasefire negotiations, warning, “Time is running out for the 49 families awaiting closure.”

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The UN and Norwegian Refugee Council criticized Israel’s failure to notify aid groups before resuming daytime fighting, predicting a 50% loss of Gaza’s hospital bed capacity. A famine, declared last week by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, has worsened, with 1.1 million people facing starvation. “This offensive will devastate an already exhausted population,” the UN’s humanitarian agency stated. Residents like Mohamed Aboul Hadi reported relentless strikes, saying, “Pauses meant nothing; the violence never stopped.”

The conflict, now in its 23rd month, has destroyed 50-62% of Gaza’s infrastructure, surpassing WWII-era devastation. Social media posts highlight dire conditions, with families like Mohammed Maarouf’s living in makeshift tents near Nuseirat. The UN Security Council is set to meet on September 2 to address the crisis, amid calls for renewed truce talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar.

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