Published On 14 Sep 202514 Sep 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareThe Israeli army is intensifying its military operations in Gaza City, threatening Palestinians to evacuate southwards as attacks accelerate.According to an army post on X, more than 250,000 people have reportedly fled the city. The military is urging remaining residents to travel via al-Rashid Street towards al-Mawasi or camps in central Gaza.However, Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud said, "Despite intense bombardment in Gaza City, many residents have stayed put - or returned after seeking shelter elsewhere - because many of Israel's designated evacuation zones are desperately overcrowded and under-resourced, including lacking proper water access."The United Nations estimates from late August indicated approximately one million Palestinians were living in and around Gaza's largest urban centre, where famine conditions are taking hold after months of deteriorating circumstances.The UN and international community have called on Israel to abandon its plans to capture the city, warning that such an assault could worsen the humanitarian crisis.Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed on Saturday on X: "More than a quarter of a million residents of Gaza City have moved out of the city for their own safety." Gaza's Civil Defence agency contradicted this figure, reporting fewer than 70,000 people had managed to leave.The Israeli military dropped leaflets Saturday, warning western district residents to evacuate amid continuous air raids. "The Israeli army is operating with very intense force in your area and is determined to dismantle and defeat Hamas," the leaflets stated. "You have been warned." Advertisement Mohammad Abu Salmiya, head of the al-Shifa Hospital, told the AFP news agency that while displacement continues within Gaza City, "only a small number of people have been able to reach the south". He added that those who do flee south often find nowhere to stay, as "the al-Mawasi area is completely full and Deir el-Balah i ...