Thousands of families are scrambling to escape Gaza City as Israel confirms it has launched a large-scale ground operation aimed at taking control of the city.
Lina al-Maghribi, a 32-year-old mother of three from the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, told the BBC she resisted leaving her home despite the danger until an Israeli officer called and ordered her to evacuate.
“I had to sell my jewellery to afford a tent after being displaced,” she said. “It took us 10 hours to reach Khan Younis and we paid 3,500 shekels for the ride. The lines of cars and trucks seemed endless.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a “powerful operation” is underway in Gaza City, which he described as Hamas’s last major stronghold.
The Israeli military has designated the al-Rashid coastal road as the only approved route for civilians to evacuate. Residents describe severe overcrowding, endless traffic jams, and long delays as families wait by the roadside while airstrikes continue overhead.
The escalation comes as a UN commission released a report on Tuesday accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza a claim Israel has flatly rejected.
Neveen Imad al-Din, a 38-year-old mother of five, said she fled south after Israeli warplanes dropped evacuation leaflets over her neighbourhood, even as her husband refused to leave their home.
“I couldn’t afford a large truck to take my furniture with me,” she said. “Leaving everything behind was the hardest decision of my life.”
Displacement costs have soared beyond the reach of most families. Residents say renting a small truck now costs about 3,000 shekels (around £630), while a tent for five people sells for about 4,000 shekels (around £840). Since the war began, most families have lost their income, forcing some to walk for miles despite the risks or stay in their homes.
On Tuesday night, Israeli warplanes carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes on Gaza City, hitting the central al-Daraj neighbourhood, the Beach refugee camp to the west, and Sheikh Radwan in the north. The attacks were accompanied by artillery fire, drone strikes, and helicopter gunships.
The Israeli Defence Forces said they are “slowly” moving into Gaza City as part of the “next phase” of their operation. A statement said air and ground forces are being used together, with the number of troops increasing daily.
Residents described the overnight assault as “hell.”
Ghazi al-Aloul, who fled northern Gaza, told the BBC he is now sleeping at the entrance of al-Quds Hospital in Tel al-Hawa, southwest Gaza.
“This wasn’t my choice,” he said. “I was forced out of the home where my family and I had taken shelter for nearly a month after fleeing the north. The bombing has been insane for hours, and the army is threatening to demolish multiple residential buildings.”
Sami Abu from the central al-Daraj area called the night “extremely difficult.”
“Entire residential blocks collapsed on their residents,” he said. “Many people were killed, missing, or injured.”
He added that Israel is advancing on three fronts, using booby-trapped vehicles, heavy airstrikes, and intense shelling. Meanwhile, Apache helicopters circled the city, firing continuously at various locations.
