JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

The Israeli army on Thursday pledged to continue demolishing high-rise residential towers in Gaza City as part of its ongoing ground offensive to occupy the entire city.

Avichay Adraee, the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, claimed in a post on the US social media company X that forces have been hitting apartment blocks “to expand operations against Hamas in Gaza City” and would step up such attacks in the coming days. He alleged that the buildings pose “a direct threat” to troops.

Residents, rights organizations, and Hamas have all rejected those claims, saying the towers are civilian structures.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces flattened the Tiba 2 tower, which housed hundreds of people and stood next to displacement camps. The strike killed two Palestinians, wounded several others, and forced thousands to flee without shelter.

Over the past week, the military has waged a systematic campaign to level Gaza City’s high-rises, pushing more families into harsh displacement conditions. Analysts say the approach appears aimed at forcing residents further south as part of a broader plan to empty the city.

Gaza’s government media office said Tuesday that more than 1.2 million Palestinians remain in Gaza City despite relentless bombardment and repeated evacuation orders.

The Israeli campaign comes under “Gideon’s Chariots 2,” a ground operation launched Sept. 3 to occupy all of Gaza City. The push has stirred criticism inside Israel, with critics warning it could endanger the lives of soldiers and captives still held in the enclave.

The Israeli army has continued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 64,600 Palestinians since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.