‘Gates of hell opening’: Israel steps up Gaza City offensive as Hamas releases hostage video

The Israeli military said the building contained Hamas infrastructure, including an underground tunnel. In a statement, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said: “A short while ago, the military attacked a multistorey building in Gaza City used by Hamas … to promote and carry out terrorist plots.”

Displaced Palestinians fleeing from northern Gaza Strip move with their belongings along the Sea Road, in central Gaza, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP)

The tower’s management denied this claim, telling Al Jazeera that the building had been used only by displaced civilians.

Military analyst Elijah Magnier told Al Jazeera that striking high-rises was part of Israel’s strategy to remove “elevated vantage points that could endanger advancing troops” and to create “shock, disorientation, fear and panic among civilians”.

Rising civilian toll

Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 44 people were killed across Gaza on Friday, including seven children. UNICEF described the situation as “unthinkable”.

Since October 2023, more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 160,000 wounded, according to Gaza health authorities. Around 30 per cent of those killed have been children.

Israel’s Defence Minister said the “gates of hell” were opening in Gaza as the army pressed deeper into the city, which it says it now controls 40 percent of.

Hamas releases hostage video

Separately, Hamas released a video on Friday showing two Israeli hostages, Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel, who were seized during the October 2023 attack in southern Israel.

⚠️ Hamas has released a hostage video of Guy Gilboa Dallal. He’s a civilian abducted from a music festival.

This is the section his family cleared for release.

It doesn’t show the part where he’s filmed in front of the @ICRC HQ in Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/viZBSCvvxr

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) September 5, 2025

In the video, Gilboa-Dalal says he is being held in Gaza City along with others and fears being killed in Israeli strikes. The video was dated August 28, but Reuters said it could not verify when it was recorded.

Human Rights Watch condemned the release of hostage videos as “inhumane treatment that amounts to a war crime”. Israeli officials said the footage was psychological warfare.

Dispute over negotiations

Hamas is holding 48 hostages, of whom about 20 are believed to be alive. It has said it is ready to accept a proposal for a temporary ceasefire in exchange for hostage releases.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected partial agreements, insisting Hamas must release all hostages and disarm. Defence Minister Israel Katz said: “Military operations will intensify until Hamas accepts Israel’s conditions for ending the war.”

אות החיים שפורסם הבוקר הוא עוד תזכורת כואבת לכך שישראל חייבת לחזור למו״מ להשבת החטופים ולנסות לסגור עסקה. חייבים לעשות הכל כדי להחזיר אותם הביתה. שולח חיזוק למשפחות, אתם לא לבד, אנחנו איתכם.

— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) September 5, 2025

Opposition leader Yair Lapid urged negotiators to resume talks, writing on X that Israel “must make every effort” to bring the remaining hostages home.