Thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza have left the area on foot, brandishing white flags and heading southward in search of refuge, which has grown increasingly scarce due to ongoing Israeli airstrikes across the entire enclave.
On Wednesday, the United Nations reported that 15,000 Palestinians had evacuated northern Gaza the previous day, utilizing the primary road, Salah al-Din Road. This number was three times higher than the estimate made on Monday.
The Israeli military granted a four-hour window on Wednesday for residents of northern Gaza to evacuate.
The Israeli army’s stated objective in Gaza is to “tighten the noose” on Hamas, targeting their infrastructure and weapon facilities, and aggressively engaging any Hamas fighters they encounter.
Israel has claimed that its ground forces have encircled Gaza City and are involved in skirmishes with fighters from Palestinian groups. Palestinians assert that no part of the strip is immune to Israeli bombardment. Over 70 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced. This includes children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities, most of whom left with minimal belongings. Some have reported having to cross Israeli checkpoints to reach southern areas and have witnessed arrests by Israeli forces.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, Israel’s relentless bombardment has resulted in the deaths of more than 10,569 people, including 4,324 children.
The conflict began on October 7 when Hamas initiated attacks on southern Israel, which Israeli authorities claim resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people.
The displacement in Gaza has triggered a painful sense of déjà vu, as the majority of the population are refugees whose parents or grandparents were forcibly expelled from their homes and prevented from returning during Israel’s establishment in 1948. The situation remains dire for those caught in the crossfire.
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