’Israel’ Razes Over 1,500 Homes in Gaza City’s al-Zeitoun Neighborhood

By Staff, Agencies

The Palestinian Civil Defense has reported that "Israeli" forces have demolished more than 1,500 homes in Gaza City’s al-Zeitoun neighborhood over the past three weeks, leaving swathes of the district uninhabitable.

Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal said on Thursday that since the beginning of the month, "Israeli" forces have systematically leveled residential blocks using bulldozers, bomb-laden robots, and quadcopters dropping explosives on rooftops.

He described a deliberate pattern of destruction, with "Israeli" units demolishing or detonating around seven sites per day.

According to Bassal, the demolitions have erased the southern section of al-Zeitoun, forcing dozens of families to flee toward other parts of Gaza City despite ongoing bombardments there.

“The destruction is far greater than just the buildings in this neighborhood,” he warned, stressing that schools, mosques, water pipelines, and key infrastructure have been devastated, making the area virtually unlivable.

Municipality spokesperson Asem al-Nabih echoed these concerns, saying life in al-Zeitoun has been reduced to “near-impossible conditions,” with basic services destroyed and residents left without access to clean water or shelter.

The demolitions come after "Israel’s" security cabinet approved a plan on August 8 to seize and occupy Gaza City.

The move, driven by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has intensified fears of further bloodshed and mass displacement in a territory already shattered by nearly two years of war.

Since the launch of "Israel’s" campaign on October 7, 2023, at least 62,895 Palestinians—most of them women and children—have been killed, with 158,927 injured.

Aid groups and local officials have warned that the ongoing assault amounts to a systematic attempt to depopulate entire neighborhoods, compounding what they describe as an unfolding genocide in Gaza.