GAZA STRIP. Israeli forces and Hamas house-to-house battles are raging across the entirety of the Gaza Strip, leaving a trail of destruction and humanitarian crisis. As the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) advance through heavily damaged urban areas in northern and southern Gaza, Hamas has increasingly turned to improvised bombs to slow down the assault and inflict casualties.

The impact on the civilian population has been catastrophic, with Gaza’s hospitals overwhelmed by a surge of casualties, particularly among women and children. The collapse in humanitarian relief efforts has exacerbated the suffering, while the spread of ground combat to the south has halted the delivery of aid beyond the Rafah crossing point with Egypt.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reports that since the breakdown of a temporary ceasefire earlier in the month, 1,207 Palestinians have been killed, with 70% of the victims being women and children.

Fierce fighting has concentrated on the Jabalia refugee camp and the Shuja’iyya district in northern Gaza, as well as Khan Younis and Bani Suheila in the south. The IDF has gained control of most of the Salah al-Din road, the main north-south highway in the coastal strip.

Efforts to establish safe zones have proven futile, with the UN and aid agencies asserting that nowhere in Gaza is safe anymore. Over 80% of Gaza’s population, or 1.87 million people, have fled their homes, often having to seek shelter multiple times in the face of the advancing Israeli forces.

The UN Human Rights Office expressed serious concerns about Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law, citing attacks on civilian infrastructure that elevate the risk of atrocity crimes. The Norwegian Refugee Council labeled the conflict as one of the worst assaults on a civilian population in recent times.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the IDF was winning the war, noting the elimination of more than half of Hamas’s battalion commanders. However, he acknowledged the high cost, describing it as “an unbearable price.”

Hamas has adapted its tactics, employing improvised explosives and launching rockets into central and southern Israel. The IDF reported seven casualties on Tuesday and two more on Wednesday morning, bringing the total to 84 soldiers killed since the start of ground operations.

As the conflict intensifies, the international community, including the Biden administration, continues to call on Israel to limit civilian casualties. UN aid official Martin Griffiths highlighted the devastating impact on the Palestinian population and emphasized that US diplomacy has had no discernible effect on the outcome.

Talks are underway in Israel regarding the future of Gaza after the war, with the Biden administration emphasizing the need to prevent civilian casualties. Despite international pressure, Netanyahu insisted on the demilitarization of Gaza under IDF control, rejecting the possibility of an international force overseeing the process.

The conflict, which began with a Hamas rampage through Israeli villages on October 7, has escalated into a devastating and protracted struggle with severe humanitarian consequences.