Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza
Gaza, Sep 20: For Shady Salama Al-Rayyes, a Gaza bank worker and father of two, home was once a modern apartment in Mushtaha Tower, a 15-storey building in one of Gaza City’s most sought-after neighbourhoods. After paying into a $93,000 mortgage for over a decade, he is now homeless—another casualty of Israel’s intensified demolition campaign.
On September 5, the Israeli military reduced Mushtaha Tower to rubble. The strike marked the beginning of a new phase in Israel’s offensive: a concentrated effort to demolish high-rise buildings across Gaza City, purportedly used by Hamas for military operations. Over the past two weeks, Israeli forces say they have destroyed up to 20 towers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put the number at 50, calling them “terrorist towers.”
A City Flattened, Families Shattered
Once home to Gaza’s professionals, Mushtaha Tower had become a temporary shelter for dozens of displaced families. Al-Rayyes said a neighbour received a call from the Israeli army minutes before the strike, urging everyone to evacuate or "they were going to bring it down on our heads." He, his wife, and their two children escaped barefoot, leaving everything behind — even identity papers.
Within seconds, video footage shows the building collapsing into a cloud of dust. “Panic, fear, confusion, loss, despair, and pain overwhelmed all of us,” Al-Rayyes said. “I had hoped to finish paying the mortgage this year. Now, there's nothing left.”
The Israeli military claimed the tower housed underground Hamas infrastructure, but declined to provide evidence. Residents, including Al-Rayyes, deny the presence of militants.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has voiced alarm. Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said the pattern of displacement and targeted demolitions may constitute ethnic cleansing, a claim echoed by many in Gaza who now believe the aim is to depopulate the city permanently.
"No Strategy to Flatten Gaza"?
While Israeli officials deny a systematic plan to flatten Gaza, the scale and precision of demolitions raise serious questions. Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani insists the strikes target Hamas infrastructure and follow legal and intelligence approval. But two Israeli security sources told Reuters that political and military agendas don’t always align, with some leaders allegedly eyeing long-term redevelopment plans that exclude Palestinians.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich earlier this year said much of Gaza would be “totally destroyed,” with its population confined to a strip near Egypt. Israel’s call for civilians to evacuate has been widely criticized, especially as border crossings remain closed and essential supplies scarce.
Ghost Neighbourhoods
Satellite imagery and local accounts show that entire districts — Zeitoun, Tuffah, Shejaia, and Sheikh al-Radwan — have been heavily bombarded in recent weeks. Controlled demolitions are occurring daily, according to residents and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), which recorded over 170 such demolitions in Gaza City since early August — a pace exceeding earlier phases of the war.
The destruction of Sheikh Radwan alone is visible from space. Residents describe remotely detonated, explosive-laden vehicles used to demolish homes. The Israeli military confirmed using ground-based explosives but gave no comment on vehicle tactics.
A War with No Way Back
The war, which began after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to 251 hostages being taken, has since claimed the lives of more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. Famine, disease, and repeated displacement have compounded the humanitarian crisis.
A recent U.N. inquiry concluded that Israel's actions in Gaza amount to genocide, while OHCHR and other experts warn that the scale of civilian infrastructure destruction could constitute war crimes. Israel dismissed the inquiry as “biased and scandalous.”
As Gaza City empties, displaced residents like Al-Rayyes now live in tents in areas like Deir Al-Balah, uncertain of their future. “They destroyed not just our homes,” he said, “but our hope of returning.”
“Exhausted From Fleeing”
Tareq Abdel-Al, a 23-year-old finance student, said his family finally left their Sabra home after repeated evacuation orders and increasing strikes. Just 12 hours after leaving, their house was destroyed in a bombing.
“Should we have stayed, we might have been killed that night,” he said. Now sheltering in Nuseirat refugee camp, he spoke of the loss that’s become all too common across Gaza: “They destroyed our hope of returning.”
By the Numbers:
• 65,000+ Palestinians killed
• 247,195 buildings damaged or destroyed since October 2023 (UN)
• 213 hospitals and 1,029 schools affected
• 170+ demolitions since August 2025 in Gaza City alone (ACLED)
As towers fall and neighbourhoods vanish, a growing chorus of international voices is calling for accountability, while Gazans continue to flee — often with only the clothes on their backs.