Considered the tallest building in Gaza City, the Al-Ghafri tower collapsed like a house of cards on Monday, September 15. In seconds, it vanished, replaced by huge clouds of gray smoke billowing skyward. On the ground, it became nothing but a pile of rubble, with desperate families rushing to salvage a few belongings from the ruins.

Over the past 10 or so days, the Israeli army has systematically destroyed the urban infrastructure of Gaza's largest city as part of its offensive to seize control, launching a new ground phase on Tuesday.

Towers, housing apartments, local institutions, schools and mosques have been pulverized. Gaza, a city with millennia of history and home to one million people – one of the most densely populated places in the world – appears to be living its final moments. The Israeli military claims 350,000 people had fled the city, Hamas says 190,000 and the United Nations on Monday cited 220,000.

'A gradual process'

On Tuesday, Israeli troops began moving "toward the center" of the city. "It is a gradual process," a military official said, noting that the number of soldiers would increase in the coming days to confront an estimated "2,000 to 3,000" Hamas fighters.

For residents, the "gradual" pace was barely noticeable. Instead, Israel appeared to carry out the threats of Defense Minister Israel Katz, who vowed on September 5 to open "the gates of hell" on Gaza. Fighter jets, drones and explosive robots unleashed massive bombardments that leveled entire neighborhoods. At night, explosions lit the sky, the air grew unbreathable and the noise of blasts was deafening. Local authorities said about 100 people were killed on Tuesday alone.

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