8 September 2025 | 12:40 CAT
3-minute read

Israel escalates destruction in Gaza as it sabotages ceasefire

In brief:

• Israel is ordering the full evacuation of Gaza City, where it has murdered 1 100 Palestinians in the past three weeks.
• Israel’s daily bombardments and its use of explosive-laden armoured vehicles are levelling entire residential blocks, displacing tens of thousands.
• A new ceasefire “proposal” promoted by Donald Trump shifts responsibility onto Hamas while lacking binding commitments from Israel.
• Egypt feels side-lined from negotiations while tensions rise over fears of forced displacement into Sinai.

On Radio Islam International’s weekly Palestine Report, Moulana Ebrahim Moosa reported that the destruction of Gaza City is unfolding at an “unprecedented pace.” Israeli forces have dropped leaflets demanding the evacuation of the city, with more than 1 100 Palestinians killed in just three weeks.

Israel is deploying armoured personnel carriers filled with explosives, remotely detonated in residential neighbourhoods. Unlike airstrikes, these robotic vehicles leave no partial structures behind, reducing entire buildings to rubble overnight.

“The cumulative number of residential units that the Israelis have now been destroying in Gaza City could be the equivalent of about 300 residential units daily and 100 tons of explosives on a daily basis,” Moulana Moosa said.

The targeting of high-rise apartment buildings is particularly devastating. Each 10-storey structure can house hundreds of displaced Palestinians. The destruction of just a few towers in a single day is equivalent to erasing an entire village.

With over one million people previously sheltering in Gaza City, relocation to places like al-Mawasi is proving impossible—both because these areas are unsafe and because they are already overcrowded.

Communication networks are also collapsing. Israeli attacks on towers threaten to plunge Gaza into another total communications blackout, cutting off residents from the outside world.

Meanwhile, global diplomatic manoeuvres have taken a new turn. Former US president Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that Israel had accepted his ceasefire terms and that Hamas must now comply.

“According to the new proposal … this Trump concept is asking Hamas – again putting all the onus on them—to release all the Israeli captives as a gesture—and then all that will come in response to that is he will call upon the Israelis to end the war and pressure them to negotiate but that’s just a promise.”

Moosa noted that Hamas submitted its own ceasefire proposal on August 18, which was ignored by both Israel and the US. Critics point out that Trump’s plan provides Israel and Washington with more time to continue military operations while shifting blame to Hamas.

Regional dynamics are further complicating the situation. Egyptian intelligence sources report that Cairo has been side-lined from negotiations, despite historically being central to truce talks. Missions to Israel have returned empty-handed, with no substantive responses.

At the same time, tensions between Egypt and Israel are rising. Cairo is resisting Israeli attempts to push Palestinians into Sinai, calling it a red line. Reports suggest Israel may even target the border fence to force displacement, a move that could risk direct conflict with Egypt.

“They are saying it’s not going to be easy although that’s the Israeli plan … Egyptian intelligence sources saying that they’re expecting a devastating escalation, brutal street battles, martyrdom attacks by Hamas that could test the occupation’s capacity to handle the resistance.”

Yet, Egypt’s position remains fraught. While warning Israel publicly, it continues to enforce tight border control, has stationed 40 000 troops along the Gaza frontier, and recently signed a $35 billion natural gas deal with Israel—illustrating the contradictions of Cairo’s stance.

Listen to the Palestine Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.