JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Israel has intensified what officials and analysts describe as a campaign of psychological warfare in Gaza City, seeking to frighten Palestinians into leaving the city for the south as intensive bombardment continues.

Since launching its offensive on Aug. 11, the Israeli army has targeted high-rise buildings, homes and shelters, while spreading messages that tents, food and medical care await displaced families in southern Gaza.

Despite this propaganda, most of the one million residents of Gaza City have stayed put, with Israeli media outlets estimating that only about 350,000 have fled so far.

On Tuesday, Maariv reported that Monday night’s use of illumination flares was aimed at sowing panic among residents and confusion within Hamas.

“Past experience in Jabalia shows that once residents saw the tanks, they fled for their lives,” the newspaper said, citing a security source.

Channel 12 said security officials believe the current level of displacement is sufficient to begin a ground offensive, while Walla news site noted the army’s “disappointment” that far fewer residents have left than expected.

The report came after one of the city’s deadliest nights, when 35 Palestinians were killed under heavy fire. Witnesses said Israeli forces also deployed explosive-laden robots to demolish homes.

Walla added that around 20,000 residents left Gaza City on foot in a single night, but about 650,000 remain.

The psychological operations are unfolding alongside a broader plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on Aug. 8 to gradually reoccupy the Gaza Strip, beginning with Gaza City.

Since then, the offensive has moved from the Zeitoun district into other neighborhoods, leaving vast areas destroyed.

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, more than 3,600 buildings and towers in Gaza City have been completely or severely damaged since the assault began, along with 13,000 tents that had sheltered displaced families.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed almost 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and triggered widespread starvation and disease.