Gaza City/Jerusalem – September 6, 2025
The Israeli military has destroyed a second high-rise in Gaza City in as many days, escalating its offensive in the densely populated territory.
The latest strike brought down the Sussi Tower, which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said was being used by Hamas – an allegation the group denied. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz posted footage of the building collapsing, with the caption: “We’re continuing.” It remains unclear if there were casualties.
Ahead of the strike, Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets urging civilians to flee northern Gaza for al-Mawasi, a coastal zone Israel calls a humanitarian safe area. The IDF reiterated that medical care, water, and food would be available there.
But the UN says al-Mawasi is already overcrowded and unsafe, with hospitals in the south struggling to cope. Earlier this week, five children were killed while waiting for water in the camp, reportedly by an Israeli drone strike. The IDF said the incident was “under review.”
On Friday, the Mushtaha Tower in Gaza’s al-Rimal district was also destroyed in an Israeli strike. The IDF said it had used precise munitions and issued advance warnings, but Palestinian officials said displaced families had been sheltering there. Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal accused Israel of carrying out “a policy of forced displacement.”
Satellite imagery indicates that large areas of Gaza City have been flattened over the past month. The city’s tower blocks once symbolised post-Oslo aspirations for Palestinian statehood, built during the 1990s construction boom that followed Israel’s withdrawal from much of Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to seize full control of the Gaza Strip after ceasefire and hostage-release talks with Hamas collapsed in July.
The UN estimates one million people remain trapped in Gaza City, where it declared a famine last month. It has warned of a looming humanitarian disaster if the assault continues.
The conflict began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages being taken. Since then, at least 63,746 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, including 367 deaths linked to starvation and malnutrition.
