GAZA CITY – Israeli forces bombed multiple high-rise buildings in Gaza City on September 6, 2025, following evacuation orders issued to residents, further intensifying the destruction in the besieged territory. The strikes targeted structures in the Zeitoun neighborhood, recently vacated by israeli ground forces after weeks of intense assaults, and other areas of the city, reducing homes and infrastructure to rubble.
The escalating violence comes as Palestinians face impossible choices: remaining in place and risking death, attempting perilous journeys south, or returning to find their lives irrevocably shattered. The destruction in Gaza City underscores the immense humanitarian crisis unfolding, with residents reporting complete devastation and questioning the possibility of rebuilding after decades of accumulated loss. The attacks are occurring despite the designation of “humanitarian areas,” which Palestinians report have also been targeted, eroding trust in any safe zones.
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, stated that Palestinians do not trust the so-called humanitarian area as tents in similar zones have been attacked by Israel many times before and nowhere is safe.
Residents returning to Zeitoun have described scenes of utter devastation. “What we have built in 50 years was flattened in five days,” said Aqeel Kishko, a resident of gaza City. “Nothing remains standing - buildings, roads and infrastructure. We are walking not only on ruins but also on dead bodies of our loved ones.”
Nohaa Tafish expressed despair over the prospect of rebuilding Gaza City, stating, “What would people return to? There is nothing to return to.” Ahmed Rihem, whose home was also destroyed, likened the devastation in Zeitoun to the impact of a nuclear bomb.