The Israeli military says 250,000 have fled Gaza City amid
intensified operations, while Palestinian officials cite overcrowding blocking
safe evacuations.
After months of deteriorating conditions, the UN estimated in late August that there were approximately one million Palestinians living in and around Gaza's major metropolitan center, where it claimed a famine was breaking out.
The military has been urged to halt its ambitions to seize the city by the world body and members of the international community, who warn that the attack and subsequent displacement could exacerbate the already severe humanitarian situation.
"More than a quarter of a million residents of Gaza City have moved out of the city for their own safety," army spokesman Avichay Adraee, who speaks Arabic, stated on X on Saturday.
Less than 70,000 people had been able to evacuate, according to a far lower number from Gaza's civil defense department.
AFP is unable to independently confirm information provided by the military or civil defense due to media restrictions in Gaza and access issues in many regions.
As the civil defense reported ongoing airstrikes, the Israeli military distributed leaflets on Saturday asking civilians in western regions to leave.
“The Israeli army is operating with very intense force in your area and is determined to dismantle and defeat Hamas,”
the leaflets read, urging people to evacuate south.
“You have been warned.”
Inside Gaza City, civilians are still being displaced, going from east to west, but "only a small number of people have been able to reach the south," according to Mohammad Abu Salmiya, head of the Al-Shifa hospital complex, who spoke to AFP.
“Even those who manage to flee south often find no place to stay, as the Al-Mawasi area is completely full and Deir al-Balah is also overcrowded,”
the senior official added, saying many had returned to Gaza City after failing to secure shelter or basic services.
“The actual number of displaced people from Gaza to the south is approximately 68,000 only,”
civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
“Many residents are still holding their ground, and many others cannot find space in the south.”
Bakri Diab, who fled western Gaza City for the south, said Israeli strikes continued there as well.
“Bombing happens here too – the south isn’t safe either,”
said the 35-year-old father of four.
All the occupation has done is force people to crowd into places with no basic services and no safety.”
Israel claims it is committed to destroying what it refers to as one of Hamas's final strongholds despite growing international pressure to stop its offensive in Gaza City.
The military has struck high-rise buildings there in recent weeks, claiming that Hamas was using them.
The military declared on Saturday that it had hit another tall building in the region.
“The hurricane continues to strike Gaza. The terror tower Burj al-Nur has been destroyed, and Gaza residents are required to move south,”
Defence Minister Israel Katz said on X.
According to the civil defence agency, Israeli strikes have killed at least 25 people since dawn Saturday.
What humanitarian agencies are operating in southern Gaza now?
The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is one of the few
humanitarian actors providing emergency relief items, medical assistance and
aid distribution directly on the ground in Gaza.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been active in Gaza, providing water, sanitation and hygiene services, conducting food distributions, providing cash assistance, treating malnutrition, conducting women's and children's protection programs, and providing psychosocial support.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) supports aid delivery closely coordinated with PRCS and other partners.
Other UN and organizations, such as the World Food Programme (WFP), have logistics capacity and operational presence to deliver humanitarian supplies and food and related supplies at scale across Gaza.