IDF confirms start of major offensive in Gaza City area

By Emanuel Fabian

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16 September 2025, 10:08 am

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Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

IDF troops seen operating in the Gaza Strip in this handout photo cleared for publication on September 15, 2025. (IDF)

The IDF says it has “begun destroying Hamas infrastructure in Gaza City,” confirming the start of a major offensive in the area.

“Gaza City is considered a dangerous combat zone, staying in the area puts you at risk,” the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, says in a post on X.

Civilians are instructed to evacuate the area immediately and head for an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the Strip’s south.

Adraee says that so far, more than 40% of the city’s estimated one million residents have “left the city for their safety and the safety of their loved ones.” IDF estimates from last night indicated that more than 350,000 Palestinians had so far evacuated Gaza City.