An Israeli strike levelled two buildings in Gaza City overnight on Tuesday (September 16), killing and wounding dozens, according to witnesses and medics.

Rescue workers and residents searched through the rubble in the morning, pulling out bodies and injured survivors.

Israel has regularly said it takes steps to avoid hitting civilians. Israel says it is seeking to eliminate militants from Hamas, which attacked southern Israel from Gaza in 2023, and free hostages still held by the group.

Israel announced the start of its long-awaited ground operation into Gaza City on Tuesday. An Israeli military official said the Israeli Defence Forces had begun the main stage of their ground operation into Gaza City, the main urban center in the enclave, where Israel has ordered hundreds of thousands of residents to flee.

Residents said bombardment of the city had been ramped up dramatically over the past two days, with heavier explosions that destroyed dozens of homes, and naval boats joining tanks and planes in the bombardment of the coast.

Israel's nearly two-year-long campaign against Hamas has killed more than 64,000 people in Gaza, according to local authorities. It was prompted by the militant group's attack on Israel in October 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage, according to Israeli figures.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

GAZA CITY, GAZA (SEPTEMBER 16, 2025) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS - Access all)

1. TRACKING SHOT SHOWING DESTRUCTION FOLLOWING ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON TWO BUILDINGS

2. PALESTINIANS AT THE SCENE IN THE AFTERMATH OF STRIKE

3. VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS CARRYING A BODY DOWN A MOUNT OF RUBBLE

4. PALESTINIAN CARRYING CASUALTY ON A STRETCHER

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN RESCUER, BASHIR HAJJAJ, SAYING:

“Tonight, there were heavy bombardment here and it was difficult to reach. We took out many, many martyrs and injuries - some serious and some minor, but the situation was very, very difficult. It was difficult to reach the place due to shelling, quadcopters, missiles, drones, F16 (aircraft). The situation was very, very bad - there were many cases (to rescue).

6. VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS SEARCHING THROUGH THE RUBBLE

7. DOLL IN RUBBLE

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WHOSE RELATIVE WAS KILLED IN THE STRIKE, ABU (FATHER OF) AL-ABD ZAKQUT, SAYING:

“A three-story house and another three-story house next to it were demolished them. That was the house of Abu Mohammed Hamad and this was my uncle Abu Kamal’s house - their children, their grandchildren, and children (were at home). I don’t know, I mean, one has gone into something like hysteria - what did the children do? I don’t know. What did the children do for us to find a head here and a leg there - and (a body) that has flown 20 meters away? Since 3:00 in the morning, and until now, we have been taking out (casualties).”

9. VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS AT SITE

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WHOSE RELATIVE WAS KILLED IN THE STRIKE, ABU (FATHER OF) AL-ABD ZAKQUT, SAYING:

“My cousin here - a concrete block fell on her, cutting her in half. We don't know if we retrieve her or put her back. We don't know how to take her out. We have been working on it since three in the morning. There are no members of the civil defence or anything... We are digging and breaking the concrete with our hands because there's no hammer.”

11. VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS AT SITE, LOOKING FOR CASUALTIES

12. PALESTINIANS CARRYING BODY, WOMAN WEEPING

13. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN WHOSE RELATIVE WAS KILLED IN THE STRIKE, ABU (FATHER OF) AL-ABD ZAKQUT, SAYING:

“I don't know what kind of planes, weapons, or explosives they are bringing to kill children here in Gaza. Why? Our children are sleeping in God’s safety when they strike them, kill them and turn them to remains.”

14. DESTRUCTION AT SITE

15. VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS ON SITE, LOOKING THROUGH THE RUBBLE

16. PALESTINIANS LOADING UP CAR WITH BELONGINGS

17. PALESTINIANS AT SITE