Mass Displacement in Gaza Under Israeli Bombardment and Warnings of a Humanitarian Catastrophe
The city of Gaza is witnessing a large-scale displacement of residents towards the southern areas, either on foot or using primitive vehicles, amid the intensification of the Israeli army's strikes on the city after nearly two years of war.
Video footage from the "AFP" agency at the end of the week showed long lines of displaced people on the coastal road near Nuseirat in the middle of the Gaza Strip, transported by small trucks or buses piled with their belongings. Alongside the vehicles, hundreds of Palestinians of various ages walked, showing signs of extreme fatigue and exhaustion, with men and women seen carrying their young children or holding their hands. Injured individuals were also observed among them, one sitting in a wheelchair with his child in his lap, while a man with his left leg amputated used crutches to move.
Relief agencies warned that Israel's control over the city of Gaza would have catastrophic consequences for a population already suffering from widespread malnutrition. The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Sunday that the number of deaths due to malnutrition and hunger in Gaza has risen to at least 422 people, including 145 children, following new casualties in the past 24 hours.
Although Israel has allowed aid into the Gaza Strip since late July, after blocking all food supplies for 11 weeks earlier this year, the United Nations states that more supplies are needed.
Israel claims it wants civilians to leave the city of Gaza before sending more ground troops there. Estimates suggest that tens of thousands have left, but hundreds of thousands remain in the area, with many hesitant to leave, stating that "there is not enough space or safety in the south," which Israel has declared a humanitarian zone. Meanwhile, Hamas has urged people not to leave, and some residents hope that Arab leaders meeting in Qatar will pressure Israel to cancel its planned attack.
Israeli forces have been conducting operations in at least four eastern neighborhoods for weeks, leveling most areas in three of them, and tightening their grip on the central Gaza Strip and western areas where most of the displaced are sheltering.
Israel announced that it has carried out five waves of airstrikes on the city of Gaza over the past week, targeting more than 500 sites, including reconnaissance and sniper positions belonging to Hamas, as well as buildings containing tunnel openings and weapon storage.
For their part, local officials stated that at least 40 people have been killed by Israeli forces' fire across the Gaza Strip, with at least 28 of them in the city of Gaza alone, noting that these figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Hamas reported that Israeli forces have bombed at least 1,600 residential buildings and 13,000 tents since August 11.
According to local authorities, the ongoing Israeli campaign for nearly two years has killed more than 64,000 people in the Gaza Strip. Israel launched this campaign following an attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which, according to Israeli figures, resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of 251 hostages.
