JERUSALEM: The Israeli military announced that over 250,000 residents have evacuated Gaza City in recent weeks following an intensified assault on the territory’s largest urban centre.
Military spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee stated on social media platform X that these residents moved out for their own safety.
The United Nations estimates approximately one million Palestinians reside in and around Gaza City.
Media restrictions and access difficulties prevent independent verification of military statements or casualty figures from Gaza’s civil defence agency.
Israeli forces dropped leaflets on Saturday urging residents in western districts to evacuate immediately via Al-Rashid Street.
The leaflets warned the army was operating with intense force to dismantle and defeat Hamas in the area.
Israel faces growing international pressure to halt its offensive but insists on continuing operations in what it calls one of Hamas’s last strongholds.
Recent military operations have primarily targeted high-rise buildings allegedly used by Hamas militants.
The United Nations and international community warn the assault could worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza City.
The UN has declared a famine in Gaza City amid the ongoing conflict.
Gaza’s civil defence agency reported five people killed in Israeli strikes since dawn on Saturday.
At least 50 people were killed across the territory on Friday according to the same agency.
Gaza City resident Umm Anas al-Ashqar described living in constant fear with continuous bombing.
She explained many residents stay in their homes because they have nowhere else to go.
“This is not life. Death would be easier than this,“ she told reporters. – AFP
