By:  Ariella Haviv

The war in Gaza entered a new and perilous phase on Thursday as Israeli tanks advanced into neighborhoods on the edge of central Gaza City, cutting off key communications while signaling an imminent escalation in urban combat. According to a report that appeared on Thursday at The Algemeiner, Israeli forces have begun pressing into the Sheikh Radwan and Tel al-Hawa districts, two areas long regarded as gateways to the city center. Their capture would pave the way for Israeli troops to move deeper into the heart of Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped.

At the same time, internet and phone services across the Gaza Strip were severed, a move that The Algemeiner report highlighted as both a tactical maneuver designed to disorient Hamas operatives and a harbinger of heavy fighting to come.

Brigadier General Nadav Shoshani, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), described the operations in stark terms. He noted that while Israeli forces have operated for weeks along the periphery of Gaza City, this week marked a shift: “Since the night of Monday to Tuesday, large numbers of troops have been moving towards the inner city,” Shoshani said, as was reported by The Algemeiner.

The offensive, he explained, is being executed by a combination of infantry units, tanks, and artillery, with constant air support overhead. The process, he emphasized, is “gradual” but will intensify in the days ahead.

“The strategy right now is to defeat Hamas and apply pressure on Hamas, which can lead to a deal or can lead to rescue missions [to free hostages],” Shoshani told reporters.

This strategic posture underscores the dual objectives driving the Israeli campaign: the destruction of Hamas’s military and political infrastructure and the recovery of hostages seized during the terror group’s October 7 rampage across southern Israel.

The fate of hostages remains one of the most sensitive and emotionally charged dimensions of the conflict. Israeli authorities believe that of the 251 individuals kidnapped during Hamas’s deadly assault on southern Israel on October 7^th, 48 remain in Gaza, with roughly 20 thought to be alive. Families of these captives have staged ongoing demonstrations in Israel, pleading with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prioritize negotiations over continued military escalation.

Yet as The Algemeiner reported, Netanyahu has reiterated his position that only military victory can bring the hostages home. This stance has left families torn between hope and despair, especially after the armed wing of Hamas issued a chilling statement on Thursday warning that Israel’s ground incursion endangered the lives of captives. “The start of this criminal operation and its expansion means you will not receive any captive, alive or dead,” the group declared, according to accounts cited in The Algemeiner report.

For Israelis, the hostages’ plight remains both a humanitarian crisis and a rallying cry for military resolve, while for Hamas, they serve as bargaining chips and shields within Gaza’s densely populated neighborhoods.

The Palestinian Telecommunications Company announced on Thursday that its services had been cut off “due to the ongoing aggression and the targeting of the main network routes.” This left Gaza residents unable to make phone calls or access the internet, further isolating them from the outside world.

As The Algemeiner report noted, such telecommunications blackouts often accompany large-scale IDF maneuvers, as they disrupt Hamas’s command-and-control capabilities.

Hundreds of thousands have fled Gaza City since August 10, when Israel announced its intention to seize control of the urban center. But as The Algemeiner reported, an even greater number have remained behind—whether clinging to damaged homes amid rubble or sheltering in makeshift tents.

Scenes along the coastal road on Thursday reflected both desperation and resilience. According to The Algemeiner report, convoys of battered vehicles—carts, vans, and cars piled high with mattresses, gas cylinders, and children—streamed southward toward designated humanitarian zones. Some families were seen perched precariously atop their belongings, exposed to the elements yet compelled to move in search of safety.

Israel has dropped leaflets urging residents to head toward the south, where humanitarian corridors are being established.

The World Health Organization issued its own warning, cautioning that blood supplies in Gaza hospitals are critically low and that core services could collapse within days.

While the primary focus remains Gaza City, the conflict’s regional dimensions intensified on Thursday as Israel launched strikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon. The Algemeiner reported that these operations targeted military infrastructure used by the Iranian-backed terror group, which has steadily increased rocket fire into northern Israel.

Meanwhile, in the Jordan Valley, two Israelis were killed at the Allenby Crossing in what the IDF described as a “terror attack.” These developments, detailed in The Algemeiner report, underscore the conflict’s widening scope and the potential for escalation on multiple fronts.

Military analysts cited by The Algemeiner have drawn comparisons between Israel’s current urban operations and earlier campaigns in Jenin, Nablus, and even Lebanon. Yet Gaza City poses unique challenges. Its dense population, labyrinth of tunnels, and entrenched Hamas presence mean that every advance risks fierce resistance and high civilian casualties.

The IDF’s approach—slow, combined-arms maneuvers with heavy air support—is designed to minimize risk to Israeli soldiers while steadily grinding down Hamas defenses. But as The Algemeiner report noted, this method carries political risks: mounting international criticism over civilian suffering, deepening strain with allies, and growing pressure from humanitarian organizations.

For Israel’s leadership, the calculation remains rooted in deterrence. As Ambassador Huckabee recently argued in remarks reported by The Algemeiner, any semblance of Hamas victory would only invite further atrocities. From this perspective, dismantling Hamas is seen not only as retribution for October 7 but as a strategic necessity to prevent its recurrence.

The war’s origins trace back to the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 abducted. Nearly two years later, the reverberations of that day continue to shape policy and public opinion.

Israel’s advance into Gaza City marks the latest phase of a war that shows no signs of abating. Tanks, infantry, and artillery push slowly into neighborhoods, even as hostages remain scattered in Hamas-controlled districts.

As The Algemeiner report emphasized, the battle for Gaza is not merely a military campaign but a collision of strategies, narratives, and survival imperatives. Israel insists that military victory will secure both its hostages and its future. Hamas insists that further escalation will cost lives and deny closure.

The outcome of the current operations in Sheikh Radwan and Tel al-Hawa may determine not only the fate of Gaza City but the trajectory of a conflict that has already transformed the region. For now, the world watches as tanks grind forward, families scatter southward, and the fog of war thickens under a communications blackout.