Gaza City, August 21, 2025 — Israeli forces have launched some of the “fiercest” attacks on Gaza in recent weeks as they advance plans to seize Gaza City and forcibly displace nearly one million residents. Residential neighbourhoods have been heavily targeted, according to reports from the ground.
At least 81 Palestinians, including 30 aid seekers, were killed in strikes across the enclave since dawn on Wednesday, the Gaza Health Ministry reported. Three additional people reportedly died from starvation as the humanitarian crisis deepens.
Relatives of Israeli captives held in Gaza have criticised the Israeli Defence Ministry’s approval of the seizure plan, accusing the government of ignoring a ceasefire proposal already accepted by Hamas. Families described the move as “a stab in the heart of the families and the public in Israel.”
Since the start of the war, at least 62,122 Palestinians have been killed and 156,758 injured, while the October 7 attacks in Israel claimed 1,139 lives, with more than 200 people taken captive.
