Gaza teeters on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian disaster as the Israeli army’s (IDF) 48-hour evacuation deadline expires at noon on Friday, September 19.
More than 500,000 Palestinians—many elderly, women, and children—remain trapped inside Gaza City, while around 450,000 have already fled south to areas Israel has designated as “safe zones.”
In recent hours, massive crowds have streamed along Gaza’s narrow coastal road. Families clutch blankets, mattresses, gas canisters, and whatever possessions they can carry. Transport prices have skyrocketed, forcing many to walk for hours without a clear destination. Some exhausted civilians say they prefer to remain under fire rather than face starvation or despair in the south.
“Barefoot, we sleep on the roads. We don’t know where to go,” said Yasser Saleh, balancing on a makeshift trailer towed by an aging car. Witnesses described explosions echoing in the distance and the cries of men and women as they fled with their children, according to the Guardian.
Israeli forces have taken control of eastern suburbs and have advanced into Sheikh Radwan and Tel al-Hawa, preparing to push into central and western neighbourhoods where tens of thousands of civilians are believed to be sheltering. Large parts of Gaza City—once a thriving commercial and cultural center of a million residents—now lie in ruins.
Controversy erupted when far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, speaking at a Tel Aviv real estate conference, described Gaza as a “real estate goldmine,” claiming demolition was merely the “first stage of renewal.”
Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, warned of fierce urban combat and threatened that no hostages would be returned if Israel presses its offensive. “We are ready to send your soldiers’ lives to hell,” the statement declared, suggesting a drawn-out war of attrition.
Humanitarian agencies warn conditions in the southern zones are dire: shortages of food, medicine, and shelter have pushed hospitals to the brink of collapse. UN investigators this week accused Israel of committing genocide—a charge Israel dismissed as “distorted and false.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic and international criticism, with analysts accusing him of prolonging the war to delay elections and maintain his fragile far-right coalition.
