Hundreds of Thousands Flee Gaza City as Israel Begins Ground Invasion to Occupy It Amid Heavy Bombardment
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, most of whom had already been forcibly displaced, have fled Gaza City to the south of the enclave, as Israel pushes on with its deadly ground invasion to occupy the city.
Despite repeated Israeli forced displacement threats and relentless bombardment, Gaza’s Government Media Office confirmed on Tuesday that more than one million Palestinians in the north of the enclave remain “rooted” to their land.
The Office said out of 1.3 million people in Gaza City and towns to its north, about 190,000 have fled to the south while 15,000 returned to the north due to the dire conditions in the areas that the Israeli military had designated as “safe zones”.
The local authorities noted that Israel has been regularly attacking Rafah and al-Mawasi near Khan Younis, where it told people to flee.
“These areas completely lack the basic necessities of life, with no hospitals, no infrastructure, and no essential services such as water, food, shelter, electricity or education, making living there almost impossible,” the Office said in a statement.
This area amounts to no more than 12 percent of the total area of the Gaza Strip, it added, noting Israeli occupation is “trying to forcibly confine over 1.7 million people within this limited space, as part of a broader plan to establish what are effectively ‘concentration camps.’”
“This is part of a systematic policy of forced displacement aimed at emptying northern Gaza and Gaza City of their residents, a clear war crime and a crime against humanity, in blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”
Israeli forces have intensified their attacks on Gaza City as part of plans to occupy it, with Palestinians fleeing amid relentless bombardment and dire humanitarian conditions.
What’s Happening?
Thousands of Palestinians are being forcibly displaced each day by Israel’s ongoing, indiscriminate bombing of Gaza City, which is killing dozens of civilians daily.
Families are fleeing south, following Israeli threats to head to the so-called ‘safe zone’ of al-Mawasi, an area that is overcrowded and has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli forces.
According to local sources on the ground, Gaza City is being systematically emptied, building by building, family by family.
Sources added that Israeli forces have intensified their attacks on the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, as well as the Shati and Remal, destroying dozens of residential buildings and shelters.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Sunday Israel has carried out “systematic bombing of towers, residential buildings, schools and civilian institutions with the aim of extermination and forced displacement” as its offensive on Gaza City continues.