International
Gaza official accuses Israel of forced civilian displacement after high-rises leveled
Israel leveled three high-rise buildings in Gaza City within three days, alleging Hamas operated from them. Hamas dismissed the claims as “flimsy pretexts and blatant lies”, while Gaza’s civil defence accused Israel of pursuing “a policy of forced displacement against civilians” through such strikes.
The Israeli military has destroyed three high-rise buildings in Gaza over three consecutive days as its offensive intensifies.
In a statement on 5 September, the military said it had “identified significant Hamas terrorist activity within a wide variety of infrastructure sites in Gaza City, and particularly in high-rise buildings”, adding that it would target those sites “in the coming days”.
Less than an hour later, it confirmed striking one such tower.
Footage shared on social media showed the Mushtaha Tower, in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood, collapsing after a massive explosion at its base, sending smoke and dust billowing into the sky.
On 6 September, Israel targeted the 15-storey Soussi Tower, a residential block with more than 60 apartments.
The following day, a third strike hit the seven-storey Al-Ruya Tower, which housed over 30 apartments.
According to Anadolu Agency, residents and displaced families sheltering nearby were forced to flee after the IDF issued evacuation warnings.
The military said “precautionary measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians”, including advance warnings.
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The military claimed Hamas had installed intelligence-gathering equipment and positioned observation posts in the building to monitor IDF troop movements.
It also said that Hamas had planted numerous explosive devices near the building.
A member of Hamas’ political bureau, Ezzat al-Rishq, rejected the allegations, saying Israel’s attempts to justify targeting residential towers and destroying Gaza with claims of their use by Hamas were “nothing but flimsy excuses and blatant lies.”
He added that such claims were aimed at covering up “heinous crimes against unarmed civilians” and continuing what he called “a policy of extermination and total destruction of the Gaza Strip.”
Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal accused Israel of carrying out “a policy of forced displacement against civilians” through its targeting of high-rise buildings.
Israeli Warnings
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared on 5 September that “the bolt has now been removed from the gates of hell in Gaza”, vowing intensified operations until Hamas accepted Israel’s terms.
“When the door is opened, it will not be closed, and IDF activity will intensify – until the Hamas murderers and rapists accept Israel’s conditions for ending the war, headed by the release of all the hostages and disarmament – or they will be destroyed,” Katz said.
כעת מוסט הבריח משערי הגיהינום בעזה.
הודעת פינוי ראשונה נמסרת לבניין טרור רב קומות בעיר עזה בטרם תקיפה.כשהדלת תיפתח היא לא תיסגר ופעילות צה”ל תלך ותגבר – עד שמרצחי ואנסי החמאס יקבלו את תנאי ישראל לסיום המלחמה ובראשם שחרור כל החטופים והתפרקות מנשק – או שיושמדו.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) September 5, 2025
As the Israeli military continued to strike Gaza, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged Hamas to lay down its arms and surrender.
“We will be more than happy to reach this objective with political means,” he told reporters in Jerusalem on Sunday.
However, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told Reuters the group would only release remaining Israeli hostages if Israel ended the war and withdrew from Gaza, insisting it would not disarm.
Humanitarian Situation Worsens
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on 3 September that Israel’s offensive, combined with famine conditions, risked plunging civilians into “an even deeper catastrophe”.
Between 14 and 31 August, more than 82,000 new displacements were recorded, including nearly 30,000 people moving from north to south Gaza.
OCHA said many households were unable to move due to costs, unsafe conditions, or disability, with older people and those with disabilities especially vulnerable.
UN Experts Call for General Assembly Action
On 5 September, UN experts issued an urgent appeal for an emergency meeting of the UN General Assembly, warning that the international community must act immediately before the 17 September deadline for demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine, as famine and what they described as genocide unfold in Gaza.
“Silence and inaction are not an option in the face of mass atrocities,” the experts said.
They urged the Assembly to demand unrestricted humanitarian access under direct UN oversight, authorise UN-led humanitarian convoys, and call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire alongside the release of arbitrarily detained Palestinians and Israelis.
“The situation in Gaza is intolerable and unconscionable,” the experts said.
“The General Assembly must uphold the duty of the United Nations to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians, end the violence, and guarantee that life-saving assistance reaches the people of Gaza without obstruction or delay. Anything less makes the international community complicit in these grave violations.”
The ongoing conflict has killed more than 64,300 Palestinians since October 2023, including at least 19,424 children, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
