KEY POINTS
- Journalists shown Gaza City under Israeli military escort amid restricted access
- Gaza’s hospitals and neighbourhoods reduced to rubble after nearly two years of bombardment
- Israel claims Hamas used hospital tunnels; Jordan and rights groups reject the narrative
- More than 67,000 Palestinians killed, over half of them women and children, UN sources say
ISLAMABAD: In a rare and heavily supervised move, Israel recently allowed a small group of international journalists into Gaza City — but only under direct military escort — providing what observers described as a curated glimpse of the devastation left by almost two years of war.
The tour, arranged by the Israeli army, took journalists through destroyed neighbourhoods near the Jordanian Field Hospital.
The Israeli military claimed that a Hamas tunnel had been discovered adjacent to the site, yet a Jordanian official, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, categorically denied the allegation, saying the hospital “was never used by Hamas.”
Independent verification of any Israeli claims remains impossible, as international media continue to be barred from Gaza unless embedded with Israeli forces.
Media rights organisations, including Reporters Without Borders, have repeatedly criticised the arrangement as censorship that prevents the world from seeing the full extent of civilian suffering in Gaza.
City in ruins
Journalists were driven through the Netzarim corridor — a militarised zone dividing northern and southern Gaza — and shown the flattened remnants of Gaza City’s once-bustling neighbourhoods. Entire city blocks have been levelled. Concrete mounds, collapsed walls, and the faint outlines of what were once schools and homes lined the route.
According to the World Health Organisation, of Gaza’s 36 hospitals, 22 are now non-functional, while the remaining 14 operate only partially due to fuel, medicine, and staff shortages.
Humanitarian agencies have declared the city in “famine conditions,” citing Israel’s siege and restrictions on aid delivery as the primary causes.
Narrative under control
The Israeli army insists that its operations are “measured and deliberate,” intended to dismantle Hamas while minimising civilian harm.
Yet Gaza’s Health Ministry reports more than 67,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023, when Israel launched its assault following the Hamas attack that killed around 1,200 Israelis and saw 251 hostages taken.
The UN and independent experts say more than half of the Palestinian dead are women and children.
Despite these figures, Israeli officials continue to justify the destruction as part of what they call a “defensive campaign.”
Defence Minister Israel Katz recently warned that anyone remaining in Gaza City would be considered a Hamas supporter — a statement condemned by international rights observers as a form of collective punishment.
Crisis beyond the battlefield
The visit also highlighted the deep humanitarian collapse. Electricity, clean water, and healthcare remain scarce, while large parts of the population are displaced.
Israel’s claim that Hamas used hospitals and civilian infrastructure as bases has not been independently substantiated; in many cases, those very sites have become graveyards.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts remain fragile. U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed plan to end the war — which Israel says it is “advancing into a defensive phase”, — has drawn scepticism among Palestinians, who view it as a cover for continued occupation rather than peace.
Hamas has conditionally accepted some parts of the deal but insists on full Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction guarantees.
For now, Gaza City remains sealed — its people unheard, its ruins photographed only under supervision. The limited tour underscores that the power imbalance is shaping not only the battlefield but also the narrative of the war itself.
