For more than 650 days of war in Gaza, one swathe of territory remained mostly untouched by Israeli ground manoeuvres: the dense, urban core of the central camps – Nuseirat, Deir al-Balah, Maghazi, and Bureij. That pattern has now decisively changed.

On Sunday morning, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) issued evacuation orders for southern Deir al-Balah. Within 24 hours, the area was under sustained air and artillery assault, with Gazan sources reporting the advance of Israeli tanks near the Abu Holi junction, adjacent to Salah al-Din Road. Though precise details of the strikes remain unclear, what is beyond doubt is that Israel is now expanding its war effort into one of the last remaining Hamas redoubts in the Strip.

The central camps are the last operational and symbolic bastion of Hamas rule in Gaza

Deir al-Balah, situated on the Mediterranean coast between Gaza City and Khan Yunis, is strategically flanked by Nuseirat to the north and the critical Salah al-Din Road to the east. It forms part of a compact band of territory, roughly 10 per cent of Gaza’s area, and has emerged in recent months as a symbolic stronghold for Hamas: an operational base for continued attacks and a stage for its narrative of unbroken resistance. Originally established as refugee camps after 1948, these zones have developed into some of the most densely built urban environments in the region. They have also, crucially, been spared the full brunt of Israeli operations. Until now.

The reasons for this previous Israeli restraint are twofold. First, there is the matter of hostages. Israel believes that some of the remaining captives taken by Hamas on 7 October may be held in........

© The Spectator