Israel Opens Temporary Escape Route as Gaza City Faces Intensifying Conflict

The Israeli military announced the opening of an additional evacuation route for Palestinians in Gaza City, available for 48 hours, as ground operations intensify to clear civilians and engage Hamas fighters. Despite these efforts, many residents remain hesitant to leave due to ongoing dangers, severe conditions, limited resources in southern areas, and fears of permanent displacement.

Ahmed, a Gaza City schoolteacher, expressed his concerns, stating by phone, "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."

According to local health authorities, at least 63 Palestinians lost their lives on Wednesday, primarily in Gaza City, as Israeli strikes and gunfire continued. These casualties have pushed the death toll from the conflict between Israel and Hamas over the last two years past 65,000, although Palestinian officials caution the actual figures may be higher due to bodies still trapped beneath debris.

Among the dead were 13 individuals, including local journalist Mohammad Alaa Al-Sawalhi, who were reportedly complying with Israeli evacuation orders. Additionally, five were fatally shot and many others injured near an aid distribution site in Rafah, with the Israeli military attributing the shooting to warning measures taken against an "immediate threat."

The conflict was ignited after Hamas launched attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths and 251 hostages, per Israeli reports.

Israeli forces have advanced cautiously, with tanks moving from multiple directions toward Gaza City's central and western neighborhoods. Military officials highlight their priorities include encouraging civilian southward movement while preparing for intensified fighting over the upcoming months. Approximately 100,000 civilians are estimated to remain in Gaza City, which could take months to secure fully. The operation might pause if a ceasefire agreement with Hamas is reached, though prospects remain slim following Israeli strikes on Hamas political leaders in Doha that strained mediation efforts.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed the country's determination to target Hamas leaders worldwide, despite international criticism and a rebuke from the United States.

The Hamas-run health ministry reported that an Israeli drone strike targeted the Rantissi children's hospital, the sole facility specializing in treatment for critical conditions such as cancer and kidney failure. No injuries were reported, but some 40 families relocated their children due to continued bombings. Fikr Shalltoot, Gaza director at Medical Aid for Palestinians, condemned the relentless attacks, emphasizing the vulnerability of gravely ill children.

In leaflets distributed over Gaza City, the Israeli military directed residents to use the reopened Salahudin Road to evacuate southwards, with a deadline set for Friday noon. However, the evacuation remains perilous, with civilians traveling on foot, donkey carts, or vehicles amidst chaotic conditions.

Much of Gaza City was devastated early in the 2023 conflict, yet nearly one million Palestinians had returned to live among the ruins. Forcing them southward now risks overcrowding in camps where a hunger crisis is worsening.

The United Nations, humanitarian organizations, and foreign governments have condemned the offensive and the resulting mass displacement. A UN Commission of Inquiry recently concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza; Israel has dismissed the report as "scandalous" and false.

Israeli troops control eastern Gaza City suburbs and continue relentless strikes in southeastern, northern, and northwestern areas as they press towards central and western neighborhoods. Gaza residents describe the devastation as obliteration of a city with millennia of history.

Meanwhile, an airstrike demolished a high-rise in the Nuseirat refugee camp, triggering panic evacuations. Palestinian and UN officials stress there is no safe area, including in the south, designated by Israel as a humanitarian zone. On Tuesday, an airstrike killed five individuals in a vehicle fleeing Gaza City towards the south.

The humanitarian situation remains dire as the conflict continues to devastate Gaza and take a heavy toll on civilians.