The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had opened an additional route for 48 hours to allow Palestinians to leave Gaza City, as it intensified operations to clear civilians from the urban centre and confront Hamas fighters.
Hundreds of thousands remain in the city, many unwilling to obey evacuation orders due to fears of attacks on the road south, dire conditions in overcrowded camps, food shortages, and the risk of permanent displacement.
“Even if we want to leave Gaza City, is there any guarantee we would be able to come back? Will the war ever end? That’s why I prefer to die here, in Sabra, my neighbourhood,” said Ahmed, a school teacher.
Local health officials said at least 30 people were killed across Gaza in Israel’s latest strikes on Wednesday, including 19 in Gaza City.
A day after launching a ground offensive to capture Gaza’s main urban hub, Israeli tanks advanced short distances into central and western areas from three directions. An Israeli official said fighting would intensify over the next two months, adding the city could take months to capture and only a ceasefire could halt the operation.
The official estimated about 100,000 civilians would remain in the city despite the evacuation push.
Prospects for a truce remain remote after Israel targeted Hamas leaders in Doha last week, angering Qatar, a key mediator. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to strike Hamas leadership “anywhere,” despite criticism from allies including the United States.
Leaflets Urge Flight
Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets urging residents to flee via Salahudin Road, reopened as an evacuation corridor until Friday. “Movement must only take place via the streets marked in yellow on the map,” the military warned.
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Thousands of civilians have been seen leaving by foot, donkey cart or car, but aid agencies warn the journey south is perilous. The United Nations and humanitarian groups condemned the planned displacement, saying it would confine most of Gaza’s population to overcrowded, hunger-stricken camps.
A U.N. commission of inquiry on Tuesday accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, a charge Israel dismissed as “scandalous” and “fake.”
Israeli forces control Gaza City’s eastern outskirts and have been pounding areas in the southeast, north and along the coast. In Nuseirat refugee camp, an airstrike on Wednesday destroyed a high-rise building, forcing nearby residents to flee in panic.
“Gaza is being wiped out. A city that is thousands of years old is being wiped out in front of the whole cowardly world,” said Ahmed, the school teacher.
Civilian Toll Mounts
The Hamas-run Gaza media office said 1,600 residential buildings and 13,000 tents have been destroyed or damaged since 10 August, when Netanyahu vowed to seize full control of the enclave.
Israel estimates 40% of Gaza City’s population has already left, while local authorities say 190,000 people have moved south and 350,000 have shifted to central and western parts of the city.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel’s offensive has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s health ministry says.
