According to the Israeli military, since late August, 700,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City to the south amid ongoing air and ground assaults targeting the urban area.
In response to AFP, the military confirmed that “700,000 Palestinians have evacuated” from Gaza City to the southern region of the Gaza Strip.
The UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA reported on Thursday that 388,400 displacement movements have been recorded since mid-August, predominantly from Gaza City.
The United Nations estimated that by the end of August, approximately one million people resided in Gaza City and its vicinity, where a famine has been declared.
Israel has initiated a significant air and ground offensive on Gaza’s primary urban center, aiming to eliminate Hamas after nearly two years of intense conflict.
“Strikes in Gaza City have been especially severe over the past week, impacting IDP (internally displaced person) camps, residential areas, and public infrastructure, leading to numerous casualties,” reported OCHA.
Gaza’s civil defense agency, operating under Hamas, stated that Israeli strikes killed 22 individuals across the territory on Thursday, including five in Gaza City.
An airstrike on a shelter housing displaced people in central Gaza resulted in 11 fatalities, according to the civil defense.
Due to media restrictions and access challenges, AFP cannot independently verify details provided by the civil defense or the Israeli military.
AFP footage following the Al-Zawaida camp strike displayed Palestinians sifting through rubble in search of survivors.
“Everything is destroyed, and nothing remains usable,” shared resident Youssef Younis.
Another resident, Ahmed Abu Dahrouj, expressed: “Our message is that the war must end immediately as we are facing extermination.”
Over nearly two years, Israeli military actions have resulted in at least 65,502 Palestinian deaths, primarily civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, figures deemed reliable by the UN.
The conflict was ignited by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which led to 1,219 deaths, mostly civilians, based on an AFP tally using Israeli data.
