Israel attack on tower marks ‘terrifying shift’ towards targeting high-rise buildings in Gaza City

It’s been a fast-moving situation over the past few hours. The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, stated that the “gates of hell” are opening now in Gaza City, confirming that the Israeli military has issued a forced evacuation order for one of the high-rise buildings in Gaza City – which was destroyed by Israeli jets shortly afterwards.

The building is called the Mushtaha Tower, it’s a 12-storey building located on the western side of Gaza City and surrounded by hundreds of makeshift tents, as this portion of the city is considered to be the last refuge for families fleeing areas of bombardment in the eastern outskirts.

Katz’s comments mark a very terrifying shift in the bombardment campaign taking place in Gaza City, as we are witnessing a new phase of deadly air strikes that will primarily focus on high-rise towers on Gaza City, which contains hundreds of these towers that are mostly in densely populated areas.

It’s worth also saying that air strikes are also intensifying in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza City.

We have received reports that the Israeli military has issued new forced evacuation orders for more areas in the very heart of Gaza City, marking a very deadly surge in air strikes and expanded ground operations aiming to completely – as the Israeli military says – “defeat Hamas” and to control this area.

There is a great deal of fear and uncertainty in Gaza City right now, especially around the forced evacuation areas, as people do not know where they can go to find safety. And the journey to the south of Gaza might be the final journey for them, from which they might not be able to return to Gaza City.

What is truly excruciating about displacement in Gaza City at the moment is not just what families will leave behind, nor the uncertain path ahead, but it’s more about the weight of loss, the grief and the complete strangeness and unfamiliarity that is taking place.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reports.

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