The Israeli military has destroyed more than 300 homes and killed scores of residents during a three-day assault on the Zeitoun neighborhood, one of the largest residential areas in Gaza City, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence.

Officials said the offensive, which began on Tuesday, involved the use of high-powered explosives that not only demolished targeted buildings but also flattened surrounding homes. Many of the structures destroyed were multi-storey residential blocks, some with families still inside at the time of the strikes.

“There was no warning,” said Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal on Wednesday. “Entire families were wiped out in seconds. The scale of destruction is catastrophic, and the intensity of the bombardment has prevented our crews from reaching the injured or recovering the dead.”

Local authorities reported that the assault was part of Israel’s wider military campaign to seize control of Gaza City and forcibly displace around one million residents towards the south — a move they say constitutes a violation of international law.

The attacks on Zeitoun form part of a broader escalation in Israel’s war on Gaza, which has drawn mounting international condemnation. According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 61,700 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, with the majority being women and children.