In addition to housing tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians, Deir al-Balah is also where the headquarters of several UN agencies and international NGOs are based.

Hamza M.Salha and Sharif Abdel Kouddous Jul 22, 2025

Israel’s military campaign in Deir al-Balah on Sunday marked the first time since the beginning of the war 21 months ago that Israeli troops launched a major offensive on the city, located in central #Gaza. Unlike every other major city or town in Gaza—including Gaza City, Khan Younis, Jabaliya, Rafah, Beit Lahia, and others—Deir al-Balah is the only city in Gaza that had not yet been subject to a major Israeli ground operation or suffered widespread devastation.