Israel’s Gaza Offensive Enters Third Year Amid Ongoing Civilian Toll

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1045 EAT on Tuesday 7 October 2025

Israeli airstrikes have continued across the Gaza Strip as the war reaches its two-year mark, deepening the humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory.

Representatives from Israel and Hamas, along with international mediators, are meeting in Egypt to discuss a proposed ceasefire plan backed by U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at ending the prolonged conflict.

Israeli forces have arrested at least 15 Palestinians during a large-scale raid in the city of al-Bireh and the nearby Jalazone refugee camp, located north of Ramallah, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Military forces also tightened security measures around Ramallah and al-Bireh, erecting checkpoints that led to widespread traffic disruptions.

In the Qalandiya refugee camp, similar scenes were reported, with Israeli troops blocking roads and firing tear gas during confrontations with residents.

Raids were also reported in Kufr Ni’meh, west of Ramallah, as well as in several surrounding villages.

Meanwhile, in the southern West Bank, Israeli settlers reportedly uprooted 150 Palestinian-owned olive trees in the village of Umm al-Khair, located in the Masafer Yatta area of Hebron — a region frequently targeted by settler violence and displacement efforts.

Israeli forces are demolishing high-rise buildings across Gaza City, flattening entire blocks that once housed thousands of residents, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence.

The agency reports that at least 50 multistorey buildings have been destroyed in recent weeks as Israel intensifies its military assault on the city, accompanied by a wave of forced displacements.

Some neighbourhoods have suffered near-total devastation. In the Zeitoun district alone, more than 1,500 homes and buildings have been reduced to rubble since early August, leaving large areas with no structures left standing.

Credit: Al Jazeera

Over the past two years, the basic pillars of normal life in Gaza have been systematically dismantled. There have been no homecomings, no reconstruction, and no real sense of recovery.

What people are experiencing is not just grief—it’s a deep, enduring disorientation.

Lives that were once marked by milestones like weddings, school terms, and harvests are now counted by the number of air strikes.

Palestinians in Gaza remain trapped in a relentless cycle of despair, lining up daily just to access bread and clean water.

Now, they watch the latest round of negotiations with cautious hope, wondering if this time might finally bring a meaningful breakthrough in the ongoing hostilities.

Invest or Donate towards HICGI New Agency Global Media Establishment – Watch video here