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THE Israeli military announced on Wednesday it was opening an additional route for 48 hours via Salah al-Din Street to allow Palestinians to flee Gaza City, as it intensified operations to remove civilians and target Hamas combatants.
Reuters reported on Thursday that hundreds of thousands remain sheltering in Gaza City. Many are hesitant to follow Israeli orders to evacuate, citing ongoing airstrikes, severe humanitarian conditions in the south, and fears of permanent displacement.
“Even if we want to leave Gaza City, is there any guarantee we would be able to come back? Will the war ever end? That’s why I prefer to die here, in Sabra, my neighbourhood,” said Ahmed, a schoolteacher, by phone.
Local health officials reported at least 63 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire across the enclave on Wednesday, most of them in Gaza City. They said the total Palestinian death toll from the two-year war now exceeds 65,000. Officials believe the real figure is higher, with many bodies still trapped beneath rubble.
Among the dead were 13 civilians, including TV journalist Mohammad Alaa Al-Sawalhi, who were reportedly complying with evacuation orders. Another five people were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli gunfire near an aid site in Rafah. The Israeli military said its troops had fired warning shots in response to “an immediate threat.”
The conflict began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas launched attacks in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and resulted in the capture of 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Military Operation Expected to Last Months
An Israeli official said military operations in Gaza City were focused on facilitating civilian evacuation and would escalate over the coming one to two months.
Israel estimates that 400,000 people—about 40% of the city's pre-offensive population—have already fled since it announced plans to seize control of Gaza City on 10 August. The Gaza media office reported that 190,000 have moved south and another 350,000 relocated to central and western areas of the city.
Tanks were seen advancing slowly towards central and western Gaza City from three directions, but no major breakthroughs were reported. The Israeli official said approximately 100,000 civilians were expected to remain and that capturing the city could take several months.
The offensive could be suspended if a ceasefire were reached with Hamas, though prospects appear slim following Israeli airstrikes on Hamas political figures in Doha last week—a move that has angered Qatar, a key mediator in peace talks.
Hospitals and Civilians in the Line of Fire
The Hamas-run Health Ministry said an Israeli drone dropped grenades on one floor of the Rantissi children’s hospital, forcing around 40 families to evacuate. No casualties were reported.
“This hospital is the only specialist facility for children with cancer, kidney failure and other life-threatening conditions – but even these gravely ill children are not spared from relentless bombardment,” said Fikr Shalltoot, Gaza director of UK-based Medical Aid for Palestinians.
The Israeli military did not respond to requests for comment.
In leaflets dropped over Gaza City, residents were urged to leave via the reopened Salah al-Din route before midday Friday. However, the escape remains perilous, with civilians fleeing on foot, by donkey cart or in overloaded vehicles amid chaotic scenes.
Much of Gaza City was flattened in the early months of the war, but nearly one million people had returned to live among the ruins. Forcing them out again risks funnelling most of Gaza’s population into already overcrowded camps in the south, where a worsening hunger crisis is unfolding.
Global Condemnation Mounts
The United Nations, humanitarian agencies and foreign governments have condemned Israel’s latest offensive and the mass displacement of civilians.
On Tuesday, a UN Commission of Inquiry found Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Israel rejected the conclusion as “scandalous” and “fake”.
Israeli forces currently control Gaza City’s eastern suburbs and are bombarding targets in the north, southeast and northwest coastal districts as tanks press towards the centre.
“Gaza is being wiped out. A city that is thousands of years old is being wiped out in front of the whole cowardly world,” said Ahmed, the schoolteacher.
In Nuseirat refugee camp, located in central Gaza, an airstrike destroyed a high-rise building on Wednesday, sending residents fleeing in panic.
Palestinian and UN officials have reiterated that no area of the enclave, including the Israeli-designated “humanitarian zone” in the south, can be considered safe. On Tuesday, an airstrike killed five people in a vehicle as they attempted to leave Gaza City.
UK to Recognise Palestinian State
The United Kingdom will formally recognise a Palestinian state this weekend, according to The Times, following the conclusion of US President Donald Trump’s state visit to the country on Thursday.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned in July that Britain would take the step unless Israel moved to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and reached a ceasefire in its war with Hamas.
Israel has argued that such recognition would reward Hamas. Nonetheless, France, Canada and Australia are also expected to recognise Palestinian statehood this month.
The UK Foreign Office has yet to comment, but The Times reported that an announcement is expected immediately after Trump’s departure.
Trump, currently on his second state visit to Britain, said in July he had no objection to UK recognition of a Palestinian state, but the US has since opposed any such action by its allies.
Starmer, facing internal pressure from within the Labour Party to take a firmer stance on Israel, has signalled Britain may raise the matter at the United Nations General Assembly next week.
The UK has long supported a two-state solution but has previously said recognition of Palestine would come only when the time was right. - September 18, 2025
