Intensified Bombardment in Gaza City Forces Mass Displacement

Mon Sep 15 2025 07:55:03 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As Israeli air strikes increase in Gaza City, thousands of residents are fleeing amidst fears of a ground offensive. The humanitarian crisis worsens with reports of civilian casualties and famine.

Israeli forces have launched a significant escalation in their military campaign against Gaza City, focusing on heavy aerial bombardments that have led to severe destruction and mass displacement. Approximately 250,000 residents have evacuated, fearing imminent ground assaults. Civilians express desperation amidst rising casualties and escalating humanitarian concerns, including famine, as tensions between Israel and Hamas continue to heighten.

Israeli forces have stepped up their assault on Gaza City with a wave of heavy air strikes, marking a sharp escalation from previous military operations.

Unlike earlier phases of the war, the current offensive has relied heavily on aerial bombardments, with entire apartment blocks and large concrete structures reduced to rubble.

The intensification of strikes in recent days has triggered a surge in civilian displacement.

Israel has warned all residents of Gaza City to leave immediately in anticipation of a huge ground offensive.

On Saturday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said about 250,000 people had left the city and moved south. It also stated it had destroyed a high-rise building it claimed was used to advance and execute terrorist attacks against its troops.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserts that Gaza City is Hamas's last major stronghold, but the plan to occupy the area faces international criticism.

The UN has warned that intensifying the offensive in an area where famine has already been declared will push civilians into an even deeper catastrophe. Gaza City is the largest urban center in the territory and a historic heart of Palestinian political and social life.

Residents claim the Israeli military's targets include schools and makeshift shelters, often issuing warnings only moments before bombardments.

Many families have been forced to flee in darkness toward western Gaza.

We escaped certain death, my husband, our three children, and I, said Saly Tafeesh, a mother sheltering in the city. My brother died in my arms after being shot by a quadcopter drone. We ran in the dark to the west of Gaza.

The Israeli military has instructed residents to evacuate south, yet many families complain they cannot afford the journey, which costs up to $1,100 (£800). Hamas has intensified calls for residents to resist leaving the city.

Frustration is palpable among civilians like Rubein Khaled, a father of nine preparing to move south. He criticized the Hamas leadership, saying, But why doesn't he tell Hamas leaders to surrender and release the Israeli hostages so this war can stop? We don't want to leave either, but we have no choice.

Israeli forces have not yet reached some eastern neighborhoods that have remained largely intact since earlier raids in January, but the current campaign suggests they may now be seeking to dismantle entire districts.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported the arrival of 47 bodies killed by the Israeli military over the past day. At least 64,803 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the onset of hostilities following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.