The Israeli military announced a new evacuation corridor for civilians escaping Gaza City, an urgent measure prompted by growing international concern for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still trapped under intense bombardment and a broadening ground offensive.
Prior to this expanded operation, the military had directed Gaza City residents to a designated humanitarian zone in the south, promising aid. Although approximately 350,000 people had already fled south along the crowded coastal road by Tuesday evening, an estimated half a million individuals remained in the city.
On Wednesday, a second “temporary route” was announced, also heading south along Salah al-Din Road. This corridor, publicized in an Arabic statement, is slated to remain open for 48 hours, commencing at noon local time.
The commencement of this anticipated ground offensive in Gaza City has sparked strong condemnation from international allies and humanitarian organizations. Critics warn that the operation will exacerbate an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis and hinder any potential diplomatic solutions to the conflict, which has raged for nearly two years.
The Israeli government maintains that taking control of Gaza City is crucial to prevent Hamas from reorganizing and orchestrating future attacks, referring to the October 7, 2023 assault on Israel that initiated the conflict.
Numerous residents still in Gaza City have expressed either an inability or unwillingness to evacuate, often due to high transportation costs and the scarcity of safe havens in the south. Overnight, Gaza continued to endure heavy airstrikes, with the Israeli military reporting over 150 strikes in the preceding 48 hours.
Salah al-Din Road, a main artery traversing the enclave from north to south, connects Gaza City to southern locations like Khan Younis and Rafah, a journey that can take up to seven hours on foot. Although the Israeli military previously designated it as an evacuation corridor, a Human Rights Watch report last year concluded it was ‘rarely, if ever, safe’ and had been subjected to Israeli attacks.
The ongoing assault on Gaza City is intensifying an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis throughout Gaza. The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties and forced the repeated displacement of most of the population. Hunger is widespread, and a U.N.-backed panel of food experts reported last month that Gaza City was experiencing famine, a finding that Israel has disputed.
Adding to the gravity of the situation, a U.N. commission investigating the conflict declared on Tuesday that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians, an accusation that Israel vehemently denies.
This declaration spurred the leaders of 20 prominent aid organizations to issue a unified call for ‘urgent intervention’ in Gaza on Wednesday.
These humanitarian leaders described the ‘inhumanity of the situation in Gaza’ as ‘unconscionable,’ detailing immense human suffering including deaths, severe injuries, widespread destruction, and children so deeply traumatized by constant airstrikes that they cannot sleep, with some even expressing a wish to die to be reunited with their deceased parents.
The comprehensive statement, endorsed by the heads of organizations like Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam International, and Save the Children, asserted that their humanitarian aid efforts have been ‘obstructed every step of the way’—a claim consistently refuted by Israel.
Given Israel’s evacuation orders for Gaza City, these groups warned that without immediate action, ‘we are on the precipice of an even deadlier period in Gaza’s story.’
Echoing these concerns, Arab nations including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar also condemned the ground offensive on Wednesday. Qatar specifically called the Gaza City operation a ‘flagrant violation of international law’ that would ‘undermine the prospects for peace in the region.’ Qatar has historically served as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, and was recently the location of an Israeli strike targeting Hamas officials.
Amidst the growing international outcry against the ground assault, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed suspending trade concessions and imposing sanctions on certain Israeli ministers. These measures aim to signal a strong demand for an end to the conflict.
Ursula von der Leyen, head of the commission, stated that ‘The horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop.’ She emphasized the necessity of an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian aid access, and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
In response, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, denounced the commission’s proposal as ‘morally and politically distorted,’ expressing Israel’s hope that the measures would not be adopted and reiterating its commitment to ‘continue to fight.’
A correction was made on Sept. 17, 2025: An earlier version of this article misquoted the leaders of aid organizations who made a statement about Gaza. They demanded “urgent intervention,” not “urgent invention.”