IDF Halts Gaza City Offensive, Continues Defensive Strikes

Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City sharply decreased on Saturday after the IDF received orders to end its offensive and shift to defensive operations, as part of efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump to bring the war to a close.

Encouraged by reports of reduced military activity and progress in Trump’s peace initiative, some residents ventured back to Gaza City to inspect their homes, disregarding IDF warnings that the area remains a “dangerous war zone.”

Despite the slowdown, Israeli forces continued targeted strikes against what they described as immediate threats. In one strike on the Tuffah neighborhood, at least 18 Palestinians were reported killed, including several children, despite Israeli efforts to avoid civilian casualties.

The IDF stated that the strike was aimed at a Hamas operative who “posed a threat to troops operating in the area,” adding that residents had been urged to evacuate weeks earlier.

According to the military, “many steps” were taken to limit civilian harm, including the use of precision weapons, intelligence gathering, and aerial monitoring. “The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians and acts to minimize such harm as much as possible,” it said.

The halt in offensive operations followed Trump’s announcement that Hamas had accepted the terms of his Gaza plan, prompting Israel to suspend its campaign to capture Gaza City. However, the IDF stressed that defensive activities continue and that civilians should not return to the city.

Troops remain stationed around Gaza City, maintaining the siege but neither advancing nor retreating. The Air Force has increased drone surveillance to safeguard Israeli forces in the area.

Local residents confirmed that Israeli forces had not advanced since Saturday morning, though artillery and airstrikes persisted. “We can still see the quadcopters everywhere,” Mohamed al-Nashar told the Times of Israel. Shifa Hospital’s director, Mohamed Abu Selmiyah, told reporters that the bombing had “significantly subsided” in the past day.

Despite warnings, Gazan media reported that a small number of residents risked returning to their homes in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, though it was unclear whether they intended to remain. Many of those returning had only relocated within the city, while others who had fled south were still blocked from moving northward.

Before the ground campaign began, around a million people, roughly half of Gaza’s population, lived in Gaza City. The IDF estimates that about 870,000 have since fled.

In southern Gaza, the Khan Younis municipality began clearing rubble and reopening roads “to allow easier passage for the displaced,” according to local officials.