Palestinian Families Flee Gaza City Amid Israeli Ground Invasion

Rabat – Gaza City is witnessing another wave of mass displacement as Israeli occupation forces intensify their ground invasion and bombardment. For many families, this may be their final journey of displacement, as they fear they will never return home.

The scenes are devastatingly familiar, with vans, trucks, donkey carts, and cars packed with what little families could carry. Some people walk on foot, too poor to afford transportation. 

Mothers carry their babies, elderly people struggle to keep up, and children without parents move through the streets, completely dependent on strangers for survival.

At the start of Israel’s ground operation, many residents said they would not leave Gaza City. But with the destruction of civilian infrastructure, aid cut off, and heavy bombardment, thousands have been forced to head south. 

The Gaza Government Media Office reported that out of 1.3 million people living in Gaza City and its northern towns, about 190,000 have fled south, while 15,000 returned due to the harsh conditions in so-called “safe zones.”

Local authorities say Israel has targeted Rafah and al-Mawasi near Khan Younis, the very areas it told people to go. These places lack hospitals, clean water, food, shelter, electricity, and schools.

Eyewitnesses describe Israeli forces using massive firepower, destroying high-rise buildings, and even deploying booby-trapped vehicles to demolish what remains of residential homes. Gaza City is increasingly uninhabitable.

Meanwhile, the death toll continues to rise, with 78 Palestinians killed since dawn on Tuesday. Israeli troops are advancing slowly into residential neighbourhoods as they aim to take control of Gaza City and weaken Hamas.

Egypt has condemned the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza City, calling it “reckless.” The Egyptian Foreign Ministry warned that Israel’s operations could push the region into “a new phase of total chaos.”