Amid the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF)’s intensifying Operation Gideon Chariots 2 in Gaza, residents of Gaza City are being warned to evacuate their homes and move south, triggering a growing humanitarian crisis.
With hundreds of thousands of people facing displacement, access to safe shelter, water, and essential services is rapidly diminishing.
Families are confronted with impossible choices: flee without certainty of safety or stay amid ongoing conflict. The warnings highlight the acute vulnerability of Gaza’s population, where densely packed neighbourhoods and limited resources leave civilians exposed to both immediate danger and long-term hardship.
As the Israeli military’s operation intensified, the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA reported that over 856,000 residents of Gaza City have been displaced to the south, seeking refuge in already overcrowded areas.
The southern regions of the Strip, including Khan Yunis and Rafah, are struggling to accommodate the influx, leading to severe shortages of shelter and essential services.
Transportation costs have become a major obstacle, forcing many civilians to refrain from emptying their homes and opting to move from one neighbourhood to another inside the war-torn city according to the security situation.
For families trying to leave Gaza City, arranging transport to areas south of Wadi Gaza can cost between $1,000 and $2,000, far beyond what most households can afford.
Once they arrive, the situation remains difficult. Land is scarce, pushing some families to pay as much as $150 per month for a small plot to set up a tent, or forcing them to rent apartments or houses for as much as $5,000 a month.
Tents, which were originally meant to be distributed through donations, are now difficult to obtain. Many residents who returned to Gaza City after the first ceasefire found their homes intact and sold the tents they had received.
These tents were often bought by profiteers at low prices and are now resold on streets and pavements. A used tent in good condition is sold at $1,000, making them unaffordable for most families.
Ahmed Mortaja, 27, has been searching for a place in the south to escape the constant threat of death hanging over Gaza City for nearly two months, but all his attempts have failed.
“I have looked after my mother and siblings since my father died of a heart attack caused by the bombardments. I simply can’t afford these sky-high prices. We’ve decided to stay here in Gaza City. It’s just one sort of death,” he said.
He added that life in the south would not necessarily be any safer. The Israeli military has struck both tents and residential buildings in Al-Mawasi, an area designated by the Israeli army as a “safe humanitarian zone” and one it has been urging Palestinians in Gaza City to go to.
In early September, Israeli airstrikes devastated some of Gaza City’s most prominent high-rises, including the Mushtaha, Al-Roya Land 2, Sousi and Al-Ghefari Towers, leaving hundreds of families homeless and sending shockwaves through densely populated neighbourhoods.
The Mushtaha Tower, a 12-storey building located in the western part of Gaza City, was levelled on 5 September. According to reports, there were eight apartments per floor, housing numerous families, many of whom had already been displaced multiple times.
The Israeli military said the tower was targeted due to alleged Hamas military activity, a justification cited for all the high-rises struck in Gaza. Their destruction has left hundreds of residents homeless, compounding an already severe humanitarian crisis. Families now face the urgent challenge of finding shelter amid ongoing conflict and widespread devastation, prompting a rushed evacuation of the city.
Alongside the airstrikes, Gaza residents have faced relentless attacks from quadcopters, artillery shelling, and remote-controlled explosive devices. These strikes have hit buildings and narrow lanes, destroyed homes, and spread fear across surrounding vicinities. According to local reports, around 14 high-rise buildings in Gaza City have been completely flattened.
Meanwhile, Israeli tanks and vehicles have reportedly advanced into southern districts, taking control of areas such as Zeitoun and Tel Al-Hawa. Their presence has forced many residents to flee their neighbourhoods in search of safer locations further south, despite overcrowding and skyrocketing costs for transport and temporary housing.
The combination of heavy aerial bombardment, robotic explosives, and ground incursions has created a severe humanitarian crisis
For many residents, the ordeal has been personal. “We have nowhere to go,” said Tahani Al-Masharawi, who was displaced for the third time inside Gaza City in less than one week and feared non-stop Israeli bombardment.
“We left Tel Al-Hawa after it became more dangerous than ever. We could hear the tanks, and we couldn’t move inside our apartment because of the quadcopters. They open fire at any movement and any source of light, even a mobile phone,” she said.
“We went to Al-Rimal, hoping it would be safer, but it wasn’t. The bombardment is all around. They want us to leave our city, and unfortunately, I’m forced to move my family for safety before the army blocks the coastal road with their tanks and pushes further into Gaza City.”
In the same context, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has warned that the healthcare system in Gaza City is on the brink of collapse, as Israeli military operations intensify and troops proceed deeper into the heart of the city.
Hospitals like the Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital and the Eye Hospital and multiple health centres have been forced to close due to relentless Israeli bombardments in their surroundings or the lack of access, a matter which makes it impossible for patients to access treatment in time.
On Sunday, Israeli tanks took up positions roughly 500 m from Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital, creating a tense atmosphere around one of the city’s most vital medical facilities.
Throughout the day, Israeli tanks moved back and forth near the hospital, sometimes pulling slightly away before returning closer. The repeated movements of tanks, combined with explosions in surrounding neighbourhoods, left patients and medical personnel struggling to maintain essential services under constant threat.
In response to the deteriorating situation, international aid organisations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), have evacuated their staff from Gaza City due to the escalating violence. This withdrawal has further limited access to emergency medical support for the residents who remain trapped in the city, compounding the humanitarian crisis.
UNRWA has reported that 12 of its facilities in Gaza, including schools and health centres, were damaged during Israeli strikes in September. The agency warned that the destruction has severely disrupted its ability to provide essential services to displaced residents who rely on its support for shelter, food, and medical care.
Against this backdrop, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has suspended nearly all its programmes in Gaza City as military operations have forced the evacuation of staff, while the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) saw its six-storey health facility in the Al-Samer neighbourhood destroyed by an airstrike on 23 September.
The disruptions have left a critical gap in medical and humanitarian aid, affecting trauma care, chronic illness treatment, and nutrition services for thousands of displaced residents.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed around 50 people and injured 184 in the past 24 hours. The overall death toll has now risen to 66,055 with 168,346 reported injured since 7 October 2023.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 2 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Short link: