Intense Israeli Bombing and Widespread Destruction in the Zeitoun Neighborhood of Gaza City

Gaza City has been experiencing an unprecedented Israeli military escalation since the morning of Tuesday, August 19, 2025, as occupation forces launched a series of airstrikes and intense artillery shelling on various areas of the strip, primarily targeting the Zeitoun neighborhood in the southeast of the city.

Local sources reported that the Zeitoun and Sabra neighborhoods were subjected to waves of heavy artillery shelling, coinciding with intense flights of "Quadcopter" reconnaissance drones, which intensified their fire on civilians in those areas.

The Israeli army also carried out extensive demolitions of residential buildings in the eastern areas of the Zeitoun neighborhood, alongside violent shelling that affected the neighborhoods of Al-Tuffah and Jabalia east of Gaza City.

The military operations were not limited to Gaza City alone, as artillery shells continued to be fired towards Khan Younis in the south of the strip, accompanied by heavy gunfire, resulting in a number of civilian casualties among the Palestinian population.

In Deir al-Balah in the center of the strip, targeting a tent for displaced persons led to the death of at least four civilians, according to field sources.

The residents of the besieged and devastated strip, after months of war, are living in catastrophic humanitarian conditions,

as the displaced people in the camps lack the most basic necessities of life such as water, food, and medicine, amidst a rapid deterioration in health and environmental services.

Humanitarian aid distribution points are turning into sites of shelling and rubble, in a scene that embodies the tragedy faced by Palestinians amidst the fires of war, hunger, and deprivation.

This escalation comes while international efforts continue, particularly from Egypt and Qatar, to mediate for an immediate ceasefire.

Diplomatic sources revealed that Hamas informed Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Monday evening of its agreement to a new proposal presented to it in Cairo, which includes a 60-day truce, interspersed with a two-phase prisoner exchange process.

In contrast, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announced that Israel is "at a crossroads" in this war, emphasizing the intensification of attacks on Hamas specifically in Gaza City, indicating the possibility of a broader escalation in the coming days, despite ongoing political movements.

Amidst the ongoing bombardment and the widening scope of destruction, the residents of Gaza are living through critical and difficult moments, while international calls to immediately stop the fighting and save the lives of civilians trapped in one of the bloodiest rounds of war since its inception are increasing.