Airstrikes pounded the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing dozens of people, health officials said, as Israel reaffirmed its plans to capture more land in the enclave and force all two million Gaza residents to live in the south.
The single deadliest bombing hit near a popular cafe in Gaza City where young people gathered to use the internet, killing 33, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Hospitals across the Gaza Strip reported casualties caused by other airstrikes throughout the day, said a ministry official, Zaher al-Wuhaidi. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the target of the attack.
The renewed violence came after Israel announced earlier this week that it was calling up tens of thousands of military reservists to enact the expansion of the war. Israeli leaders say they hope that the campaign will pressure Hamas to compromise in stalled cease-fire negotiations, and release the hostages it still holds in Gaza.
In Gaza City, bodies of young men were strewn outside the cafe as women looked on in horror, according to a New York Times photographer at the scene. One mourner outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, clutching his head in agony, wore a sweatshirt that read, “Be nice.”
One hospital was unable to accommodate the high number of casualties, said Dr. Munir al-Bursh, the director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry. The strike strained an already overwhelmed health sector in the Gaza Strip. Health officials said 59 people were killed across the enclave on Wednesday. Their tolls do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Video obtained by the Reuters news agency showed people running while carrying stretchers with the wounded. A donkey was seen moving in a pool of blood on the ground.
“Neither the people nor the animals were safe, neither the young nor the old, as you can see,” said Ahmed al-Saoudi, a witness.
“Enough, enough of the bloodshed happening,” he said.
Compounding Gazans’ misery is a dire humanitarian situation. Hunger in Gaza has soared since Israel imposed a blockade on aid supplies in March, prompting the United Nations to warn this week of a “growing humanitarian catastrophe.” Israel has argued that its blockade is lawful, and that Gaza still has enough available provisions.
Speaking to Israeli forces, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the displacement of Gazans — many of whom had only recently been allowed back into their homes in northern Gaza — would protect Israeli forces “against all types of threats.”
He described it as part of a new military offensive that would begin after President Trump’s visit to the Middle East next week. Until then, he said, Hamas had “a window of opportunity” to agree to new cease-fire negotiations and release Israeli hostages.
“The entire Gazan population will be evacuated to areas in southern Gaza, while creating a distinction between them and Hamas terrorists,” Mr. Katz said. “Unlike in the past, the I.D.F. will remain in any territory that is conquered, to prevent the return of terrorism and to purge and thwart any threat.”
A Hamas spokesman, Bassem Naim, accused Israel of trying to force negotiations “through tactics of starvation, continued genocide, and threats to escalate military operations” — but not with assurances of ending the 18-month war. “Such attempts will not succeed in breaking the will of our people or their resistance,” Mr. Naim said.
Even before Mr. Katz’s announcement, the plans to force out people in northern Gaza had prompted a new wave of despair among Palestinian civilians in the territory, many of whom have already been displaced several times since the war began.
“We don’t want to even hear the word ‘evacuation’ again,” said Anees Jneed, 31, a displaced Palestinian living in a makeshift shelter in northern Gaza. Mr. Jneed said his family had already been displaced at least six times since the war began in October 2023.
“Displacement means death, humiliation, homelessness,” Mr. Jneed added.
Mr. Jneed is likely to be among the first affected by Israel’s plan to capture large sections of Gaza and force those living there to move south. The Israeli authorities said on Monday that they were calling up tens of thousands of military reservists to enact the expansion of the war. Israeli leaders say they hope that the campaign will pressure Hamas to compromise in stalled cease-fire negotiations, and release the hostages it still holds in Gaza.
All of this has contributed to a deeper sense of gloom among Gazan civilians. Wafa al-Ghouty, 35, an accountant and mother of five, said she had been displaced seven times since the start of the war. She is now sheltering in a tent in a coastal area of southern Gaza.
“The situation is extremely challenging, not just because of the repeated displacement, but because of the hunger and the helplessness of not being able to provide even a loaf of bread,” Ms. al-Ghouty said in an interview. “Every time we settle, we are forced to move again.”
Ms. al-Ghouty said she planned to cook her last bag of pasta within 24 hours. “Sometimes we’re so focused on surviving — finding food and medicine for the children — that we miss the news,” she said. “But this announcement hit like a thunderbolt.” She said she had already packed a small bag with her children’s clothes and key documents, bracing for what may come next.
Nearly two months have passed since Israel resumed its military campaign after cease-fire talks broke down. The renewed assault has brought near-daily airstrikes and escalating ground operations, resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries.
According to the United Nations, more than 1.9 million people — the majority of Gaza’s population — have been displaced since the war began.
The humanitarian situation has worsened significantly in recent weeks because of Israel’s blockade on aid supplies. Most bakeries are no longer operational, food stocks are depleted and medical supplies are critically low.
Mr. Jneed said he was struggling to provide basic necessities for his two children. The family now survives on just one meal a day.
“Every hour that passes,” he said, “is worse than the one before.
Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting.
