More than 400,000 Palestinians have evacuated Gaza City as Israel continues to expand its ground operation, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). This leaves an estimated 600,000 people still in the city.

While in Gaza City, troops have killed numerous terrorists using tank fire, armed drones, and air strikes. The IDF's 162nd Division killed several Hamas terrorists after identifying them 200 meters away,

Families of the Israeli hostages have been imploring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the offensive in Gaza and instead negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas to free their loved ones.

Israeli tanks were stationed on the edge of Gaza City on Wednesday ahead of a planned ground operation into the enclave’s largest urban area, according to eyewitnesses and satellite imagery.

Hamas has rebuilt much of its network of underground tunnels in Gaza City, a security source told N12 on Friday. The IDF has reportedly now paused some underground operations, suspecting that hostages may be held in the tunnel shafts and military actions may endanger their lives.

Bezalel Smotrich’s comments mirror remarks in which President Donald Trump envisioned the U.S.' turning the Palestinian enclave into a “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Hamas issued its strongest messaging about the Israeli hostages in Gaza Thursday night, saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Gaza City ground incursion means that Israel has lost any chance of getting its hostages out of the territory – dead or alive.

As Israel's ground offensive in Gaza City escalates, Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council warns civilians are trapped, forced to choose between staying under bombardment or fleeing south.