Over 250,000 Flee Gaza City Amid Intensified Israeli Strikes
Gaza City – More than a quarter of a million residents of Gaza City have reportedly left the city in search of safety, according to the Israeli military. Colonel Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, shared the figures on X.
The United Nations estimates that around one million Palestinians live in and around Gaza City. However, strict media restrictions and limited access to many areas make it difficult to independently verify the military’s claims.
On Saturday, Israeli forces distributed leaflets in the city’s western districts, urging residents to evacuate. Gaza’s civil defence agency said air strikes continued relentlessly.
The leaflets warned: “The Israeli army is operating with very intense force in your area and is determined to dismantle and defeat Hamas. For your safety, evacuate immediately via Al-Rashid Street to the south of Wadi Gaza. You have been warned.”
In recent weeks, the military has focused on high-rise buildings, citing their use by Hamas. The United Nations and other international bodies have repeatedly cautioned that such assaults risk worsening Gaza City’s already critical humanitarian crisis and famine conditions.
According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, Israeli strikes killed five people on Saturday morning alone. On Friday, at least 50 people were reported killed across the territory.
“Every night we go to sleep not knowing if we will wake up alive,” said Umm Anas al-Ashqar, a Gaza City resident. “The bombing around us never stops… We stayed in our house because we have nowhere else to go… This is not life. Death would be easier than this.”
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