AFP<\/em> journalists and witnesses saw a steady stream of Gazans heading south on foot, in vehicles and on donkey carts \u2014 their meagre belongings piled high.<\/p>\n\u201cThere is artillery fire, air strikes, quadcopter and drone gunfire. The bombing never stops,\u201d said Aya Ahmed, 32, sheltering with 13 relatives in Gaza City.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world doesn\u2019t understand what is happening. They (Israel) want us to evacuate south \u2014 but where will we live? There are no tents, no transport, no money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Palestinians say the cost of a ride to the south has soared, in some cases topping $1,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation is indescribable \u2014 crowds everywhere, the sound of explosions, women and men crying and screaming as they walked while carrying their belongings,\u201d said Shadi Jawad, 47, describing his family\u2019s ordeal as they fled their home on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The offensive has sparked international outrage, with the territory already devastated by the war and the Gaza City area gripped by a UN-declared famine. It comes ahead of a planned move by several countries, including France and Britain, to recognise a Palestinian state later this month at the UN.<\/p>\n
Israeli tanks were advancing on Thursday in two Gaza City areas that are gateways to the city centre, while internet and phone lines were cut off across the Gaza Strip, a sign that ground operations were likely to further escalate imminently.<\/p>\n
Israeli forces control Gaza City\u2019s eastern suburbs and in recent days have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas, from where they would be positioned to advance on central and western areas where most of the population is sheltering.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are scared, but what can we do?\u201d said Bassam Al-Qanou, a displaced man sheltering with around 30 family members in one of countless ragged improvised tent camps along the city\u2019s beach.<\/p>\n
At least 85 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, most in Gaza City, according to the territory\u2019s health ministry.<\/p>\n
Later on Thursday, the Israeli military said four of its soldiers had been killed using an explosive device in Rafah, in southern Gaza.<\/p>\n
Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2022 Internet, phone lines cut off across Gaza City\u2022 Gazans flee bombardment, head south on foot, in vehicles and on donkey carts\u2022 85 Palestinians killed in strikes, gunfire; Israeli loses four soldiers GAZA CITY: Israeli tanks and jets pounded Gaza City, the target of a major ground offensive, on Thursday, prompting Palestinians to flee south, 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