As Israeli troops push into the enclave's heart, 600,000 civilians face an impossible choice: Flee into uncertainty or stay and risk annihilation

In the predawn hours of Tuesday, Israel pushed deeper into Gaza City, unleashing the most intense ground campaign since the war began nearly two years ago. For the 600,000 civilians still trapped in the enclave's ruins, the offensive has turned daily survival into a grim gamble between death, displacement, and defiance.

Israel has launched a full-scale ground operation into Gaza City, marking a new and dangerous phase of a war that has already left more than 64,000 Palestinians dead since October 2023.

Two divisions of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the 162nd and the 98th, advanced deeper into the besieged enclave, with a third division expected to join in the coming days.

The offensive, officials say, is aimed at dismantling Hamas' command and control, degrading its infrastructure in the heart of Gaza City - which houses up to 3,000 militants - and securing the release of hostages still held by the group.

The IDF says the operation emphasizes "security over speed" - a gradual entry accompanied by heavy fire support to protect advancing troops.

While the assault didn't surprise Gazans - Israel has spoken about it for weeks - for many, the invasion was a moment of paralyzing dread.

"I was at home in Gaza City with my family," Mahdy Kamal, 38, a father of five from the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, said.

"We were all sitting in the living room with no electricity, following the updates on a small battery-powered radio.

"When I heard the Israeli Army announcing they had started a ground offensive, I felt my stomach drop.

"My wife just sat in silence while my younger child started pacing nervously," he added.

Kamal was not the only one.

Huda Abu Ramadan, a 54-year-old mother of four, was also paralyzed by the news of the invasion: "I was outside my house, trying to get some water from a nearby tank. People around me were whispering that the invasion had started. Later, I confirmed it through neighbors who had radio sets. I was shocked. My daughter burst into tears when I broke the news to her."

The IDF has repeatedly urged Gazans to leave the area - now considered a dangerous combat zone.

According to estimates, more than 350,000 have evacuated to the designated areas of Mawasi and Khan Yunis, two rather small strips of land that make up around 15% of the territory, where Israel says it has accumulated more water, food, shelters, and medications.

Yet, 600,000 Gazans still remain in the city, reluctant to leave.

Kamal and Abu Ramadan were among those who decided to stay - each for their own reasons. For Mahdi, it was dictated by the difficulty of moving the family, especially the younger children and the elderly relatives, mixed with a sense of uncertainty in Khan Yunis and Mawasi.

For Abu Ramadan, the reason was simple: She could not afford it.

"I tried to go to Khan Yunis, but I do not have enough money for transportation and buying a tent. I think about going to Mawasi, but I heard the conditions there are terrible - too crowded, no water, no shelter. I don't want my kids to live in that dirt."

Mkhaimer Abuseada, an associate professor at Al Azhar University of Gaza, currently residing in Cairo, agrees that the move is a mission impossible for the majority of Gazans.

"The trip of moving the entire family with all their belongings from Gaza to the south can cost up to $1,000, and money is scarce now, so this is something many cannot afford," he said.

"Apart from that, the designated area itself is not safe either, and only a few days ago, we saw a family that moved from Gaza to Khan Yunis perishing in an attack. And finally, Gazans are attached to their homes, their memories. They know that the moment they move, there is no going back, so they prefer to stay, clinging to their belongings."

Kamal and Abu Ramadan and their families were not exceptions. They, too, decided to stay, come what may.

But the fate that awaits them there is rather bleak. In almost two years of fighting, Israel has destroyed 34% of all housing units; 58% have been damaged. The majority of roads, commercial and industrial facilities have been eliminated, many schools and hospitals have remained non-operational.

While Gaza City has also been severely damaged, the magnitude of the destruction is believed to be less severe. Israel was avoiding maneuvering in the area for fear of harming its hostages allegedly being held in the city and its outskirts. Now the circumstances have changed.

Israel has recruited an additional 60,000 troops for the incursion into the city, believed to be one of Hamas' last strongholds, and the IDF is saying they are not limited in time. "We will operate as long as it is needed," IDF spokesman Effie Defrin said Tuesday night.

For Kamal and his family, this could mean one of two things: Certain death or permanent displacement.

"I fear that we will be forced out of Gaza permanently, like what happened to our grandparents in 1948. I also fear for my children.

"And every night, before I go to sleep, I wonder if I'll end up waking up in the morning.

Yet the crippling fear hasn't broken the spirit of Kamal, Abu Ramadan, and many others.

"Israel will be staying in Gaza City for many months and they will eventually destroy it like they did with all the other cities, but the people will not be conquered," Kamal believes.

Abu Ramadan agreed: "Israel cannot break the will of the people. We've survived many wars; this one will not erase us either."

The problem is that this war - unlike others witnessed by Gazans - doesn't show signs of winding down. Israel vowed to eradicate all the hardcore Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants hiding in Gaza City, but Abuseada is certain this will not end the resistance.

"Israel will take over the whole city, will probably destroy all of the homes, go after Hamas fighters, but that's going to take months and months to do the job. Even then, Hamas will not be gone. Fighters will hide in tunnels.

"The city will be conquered, but resistance will not end."

Abuseada struggles to say what the future holds for Gaza.

"There are several scenarios on the table. The Egyptians have a plan - supported by the Arab League - that presupposes the establishment of a technocratic government... without Hamas and its allies."

"The Israelis - led by Finance Minister Smotrich and the minister of national security, Itamar Ben Gvir - have a different plan. They want to evict all Gazans and resettle the entire strip. I don't know which option will eventually be chosen, but something tells me that Israel will be staying in Gaza for quite some time," he said.

Abuseada's instincts might be right. Earlier this month, the IDF spokesman stated that a day after the war ends - and if no diplomatic solution is found - Israel would establish full military control over the enclave.

Plans to resettle Gaza - promoted by the radical right - have not been a secret either, and prominent activists of the camp have engaged in multiple campaigns to promote that cause, despite the uproar they caused among liberal circles of Israel and abroad.

"We have to wait and see," Abuseada said.

But for families like Kamal's and Abu Ramadan's, there is no waiting room - only the immediate calculus of survival, and the fear that in the end their city, and their future, may be erased in the name of victory.

'They will destroy the city, but not the people': Gaza braces for Israel's largest assault of the war -- RT World News