The Israeli military announced it would open an additional route for 48 hours to allow Palestinians to leave Gaza City, as it pressed ahead on Wednesday with efforts to evacuate civilians and confront thousands of Hamas fighters entrenched in the area.
Despite the directive, hundreds of thousands remain in the city, many citing fears of attacks on evacuation routes, dire humanitarian conditions in the south, food shortages, and concerns 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 local schoolteacher.
According to health officials, at least 63 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, most of them in Gaza City. The latest deaths pushed the Palestinian toll in the two-year war past 65,000, though officials believe the real figure is higher as many victims remain buried under rubble.
Among the dead were 13 people, including journalist Mohammad Alaa Al-Sawalhi, who medics said were attempting to comply with evacuation orders. In Rafah, Israeli fire near an aid distribution site killed five more people and wounded dozens, though the military claimed troops had fired warning shots to counter an “immediate threat.”
The war, now in its second year, began after Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage, according to Israeli figures.
Tanks Edge Forward, Fighting Expected to Last Months
Israel estimates that 400,000 people—around 40% of Gaza City’s pre-offensive population—have already fled since its takeover plan was announced on August 10. The Gaza media office reported 190,000 have gone south while another 350,000 have shifted to central and western areas of the city.
A day after officially launching its ground assault on Gaza’s main urban centre, Israeli tanks edged closer from three directions, though no major breakthroughs were reported. An Israeli official said operations were currently focused on pushing civilians southward and that the assault could last several months.
The official added that Israel expected around 100,000 civilians to remain in the city and indicated the campaign might be halted if a ceasefire were agreed with Hamas. However, prospects for such a deal remain dim after Israel targeted Hamas political leaders in Doha last week, straining relations with Qatar, a key mediator in truce talks.
