The Israeli army announced that nearly 700,000 Palestinians have evacuated Gaza City since late August, moving southward as air and ground offensives intensify on the war-torn urban center.
According to UN reports, more than 388,000 displacement movements have been recorded since mid-August, with Gaza City suffering the heaviest damage. The United Nations earlier estimated that about one million people lived in the city and nearby areas.
Meanwhile, UN’s humanitarian agency warned that bombardments in Gaza City have grown increasingly severe, targeting residential areas, internally displaced persons’ tents, and public infrastructure. The agency reported that many attacks resulted in high civilian casualties.
Read more : Israel intensifies Gaza assault as UN demands ceasefire
Gaza’s civil defence agency confirmed that 22 people were killed on Thursday, including five in Gaza City. An air strike on a home sheltering displaced families in central Gaza killed 11 people.
Local residents described scenes of complete devastation, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Survivors in Al-Zawaida camp voiced desperation, saying the war must end immediately as families continue to experience unbearable destruction and loss.
According to health ministry figures from Hamas-run Gaza, Israeli military actions over nearly two years have killed more than 65,500 Palestinians, mostly civilians. The conflict erupted after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that left over 1,200 dead.