(TJV NEWS)The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday brought down a multi-story tower in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, less than an hour after urging residents in and around the building to evacuate, The Times of Israel reported. The strike, which targeted the al-Susi high-rise, marked the second time in two days that Israeli forces demolished a prominent tower as part of their escalating campaign to gain control over Gaza City.

According to The Times of Israel, the IDF said Hamas had converted the al-Susi structure into a military asset. Surveillance equipment and observation posts were reportedly placed inside to monitor Israeli troop movements, while explosive devices had been planted nearby. The army further stated that Hamas maintained underground infrastructure next to the site, which was allegedly used to direct militant operations.

ממשיכים pic.twitter.com/q4lwpHiUVx

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) September 6, 2025

The IDF emphasized that precautionary steps were taken to minimize civilian casualties, including targeted evacuation warnings, precision-guided munitions, and ongoing aerial surveillance, The Times of Israel noted. Defense Minister Israel Katz circulated a video showing the 15-story tower collapsing into a cloud of debris, captioning his post with the words, “We’re continuing,” after having shared a similar video of another tower’s destruction the previous day.

The military also issued evacuation alerts for the Al-Ruya high-rise and nearby tents in central Gaza City, warning that Hamas was using the area for military purposes and that strikes were imminent, The Times of Israel reported. This came just a day after the Mushtaha Tower was flattened following similar warnings.

Medical sources in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 21 people were killed across the Strip since dawn Saturday, including 13 in Gaza City. Six additional deaths, including one child, were attributed to malnutrition, according to the Hamas health ministry. These figures—reported before the al-Susi strike—could not be independently verified, and the IDF has not yet commented on them, The Times of Israel stressed.

Meanwhile, the IDF again urged Gaza City’s residents to flee south toward a newly designated “humanitarian zone” in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, The Times of Israel reported. Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, called the Al-Rashid coastal road a “humanitarian route” and said the zone was equipped with field hospitals, water facilities, food supplies, and tents, in cooperation with the UN and international organizations.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also pushed back on Israel’s narrative, saying in Cairo that calling the mass displacement of Palestinians “voluntary” was “nonsense,” The Times of Israel reported. The statement came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Egypt of blocking Gaza residents from leaving.

The IDF says it now controls roughly 40% of Gaza City and about 75% of the Strip overall. Forces have advanced from outer suburbs to within a few kilometers of the city center, The Times of Israel noted. The UN, however, estimates around one million people remain in and around Gaza City and has warned of disaster if the offensive continues.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages. Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has claimed more than 64,000 deaths, a toll not independently verified and not distinguishing between fighters and civilians. Israel says it has eliminated over 22,000 Hamas combatants in Gaza, along with 1,600 attackers killed inside Israel on October 7, The Times of Israel reported.