Mass displacement in Gaza as Israeli ground invasion intensifies

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Humanitarian crisis deepens in Gaza with no safe exits, as mass displacement and Israeli attacks continue unabated.

Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City

The Israeli army has subjected Gaza City to its most punishing attacks in two years of war, sending thousands of residents fleeing under bombs and bullets amid fears they might never return, with the United Nations chief calling the offensive “horrendous”. [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

By Al Jazeera and News agencies

Published On 17 Sep 2025

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from Gaza City as Israel’s deadly ground invasion in its genocidal war continues.

An Israeli army spokesperson announced on Tuesday a “temporary” evacuation route for Palestinians via Salah al-Din Street, available for just 48 hours.

Avichay Adraee stated on X that residents could move along Salah al-Din Street southwards from Wadi Gaza.

“Transit through this route will be available for 48 hours starting today … and until Friday,” he said.

Israel has repeatedly struck residential areas, schools and hospitals throughout the Gaza Strip during the 23-month conflict.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Nuseirat in central Gaza, said: “More and more Palestinian families are fleeing Gaza City under the threat of Israeli attacks with no guarantees of safety at all.”

“While we’re here, we met friends, relatives and neighbours, and they told us they spent more than thirteen hours to make this difficult journey to the south of the Strip because of the vast overcrowding of roads. People say they’re totally exhausted,” he said.

“We also met a number of dual nationals still stuck in Gaza who said this is the fifth time they were forced to flee from one area to another under the echoes of explosions and the wide-scale mass expulsion orders issued by the Israeli military,” he added.

“Everyone on the ground is going through a serious crisis. It is a systematic policy by Israel to control Palestinian land and reshape it. What is still unfolding is a humanitarian calamity with no safe exits,” Abu Azzoum explained.

Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City

Displaced Palestinians move southwards through the central Gaza Strip after Israeli forces issued threats to residents of Gaza City to evacuate due to an ongoing military operation. [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City

About one million Palestinians are known to have returned to Gaza City to live among the ruins after the initial phase of the nearly two-year war, but reports on how many remain vary. [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo]

Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City

An Israeli army official estimated on Tuesday that approximately 350,000 had fled. But Gaza’s Government Media Office said 350,000 had been displaced to the centre and the west of the city, with 190,000 leaving it altogether. [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City

The Government Media Office noted a trend of reverse displacement, saying on Tuesday that 15,000 Palestinians had returned to Gaza City after witnessing the dire conditions in al-Mawasi. [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City

Amid the brutal offensive, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory on Tuesday concluded that Israel’s war on Gaza is a genocide, a landmark moment after nearly two years of war that has killed at least 64,964 people. [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City

At least 106 people were killed across Gaza since dawn on Tuesday, according to medical sources. [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo]

Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from Israel

As bombs rained down, the Israeli army continued to destroy areas in the north, south and east of the city with explosive-laden robots. [Amir Cohen/Reuters]

Thousands of Palestinians flee Gaza City

Displaced Palestinians, fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southwards after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south. [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

An Israeli soldier walks next to military vehicles near the border with Gaza

As people fled, the Israeli military released aerial footage showing a large number of tanks and other armoured vehicles pushing further into Gaza City. [Amir Cohen/Reuters]

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