The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that it would establish an additional evacuation corridor for residents seeking to leave Gaza City. This decision comes amidst escalating international concern for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who remain trapped in the city, enduring relentless Israeli bombardment and a broadening ground offensive.
Prior to the offensive’s expansion on Tuesday, the military had instructed Gaza City’s population to move to a designated humanitarian zone in the southern part of the territory. By Tuesday evening, over 350,000 individuals had reportedly evacuated the northern city, crowding onto the coastal road. However, an estimated half a million people were thought to still be present in the city.
A new ‘temporary route’ along Salah al-Din Road, leading south, was declared open by the military on Wednesday. A statement issued in Arabic via social media indicated this corridor would be accessible for 48 hours, commencing at noon local time on Wednesday.
This long-anticipated ground offensive has drawn strong criticism from both Israel’s allies and various aid organizations. They argue that such an operation will only exacerbate an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis and jeopardize any potential diplomatic resolution to the conflict, which has now spanned almost two years.
The Israeli government maintains that taking control of Gaza City is crucial to prevent Hamas from reorganizing and orchestrating future assaults, similar to the attack on Israel that initiated the war on October 7, 2023.
Intense airstrikes have persisted across Gaza. The Israeli military reported over 150 strikes in the preceding 48 hours by Wednesday morning.
Salah al-Din Road, a primary north-south artery through the enclave, connects Gaza City with the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, a trek that can take up to seven hours on foot. While Israel’s military previously designated this as an evacuation corridor, a report from Human Rights Watch last year concluded that the route was ‘rarely, if ever, safe’ and had experienced Israeli shelling.
The initiation of the Gaza City assault coincided with a report from a UN commission investigating the conflict, which stated that Israel was engaged in acts of genocide against Palestinians. Israel has vehemently denied these accusations.
Since the war’s commencement, tens of thousands of Gazans have lost their lives, and the majority of the population has been displaced numerous times. Severe hunger is widespread throughout the enclave. Last month, a UN-backed panel of food experts declared that famine was present in Gaza City, a finding that Israel has disputed.
A Wednesday report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs highlighted that no food aid had reached northern Gaza since Friday, following what it described as the Israeli military’s closure of a crucial border crossing, Zikim.
The report detailed ‘grave concerns’ from aid organizations regarding the rapid depletion of fuel and food reserves, noting that there are currently no direct entry points for aid into northern Gaza. Furthermore, resupplying the north from the south is becoming increasingly difficult due to severe road congestion and ongoing insecurity.
This account contradicts a statement released online by COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for aid management in Gaza, which claimed 230 aid trucks had entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom (southern) and Zikim (northern) border crossings on Tuesday.
COGAT did not clarify the discrepancy between its statement and the United Nations’ report, but affirmed that ‘the entry of trucks through the Zikim crossing will be facilitated subject to operational considerations.’
The agency also refrained from providing specific details on the number of trucks that successfully reached Gaza City on Tuesday.
The UN report’s concerns were further underscored by a joint statement from the leaders of 20 prominent aid organizations, who collectively called for ‘urgent intervention’ in Gaza.
Aid officials described the ‘inhumanity of the situation in Gaza as unconscionable,’ detailing a litany of suffering including deaths, severe injuries, famine, widespread devastation, children so traumatized by daily airstrikes they are unable to sleep, and others expressing a desire to die to reunite with their deceased parents.
This extensive statement was endorsed by the heads of major organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam International, and Save the Children. They asserted that their efforts to deliver aid have been ‘obstructed every step of the way,’ claims that Israel has consistently denied.
The aid groups cautioned that with Israel’s evacuation orders for Gaza City, the region stands ‘on the precipice of an even deadlier period in Gaza’s story if action is not taken.’
Gaza’s health ministry reported on Wednesday afternoon that nearly 100 people had been killed and close to 400 wounded within the last 24 hours. The ministry, which tallies all casualties without differentiating between civilians and combatants, also noted that emergency responders were unable to reach many individuals buried under debris.
Several Arab nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, echoed the calls for action, condemning the ground offensive on Wednesday. Qatar described the Gaza City operation as a ‘flagrant violation of international law’ that risks ‘undermining the prospects for peace in the region.’ Notably, Qatar has served as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, and was recently the target of an Israeli strike on Hamas officials.
In response to growing international indignation over the ground assault, the European Commission proposed on Wednesday measures to suspend favorable trade terms and implement sanctions against certain Israeli ministers. These steps are intended to signal strong demands for a cessation of the conflict.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, stated emphatically that ‘The horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop.’ She urged for ‘an immediate cease-fire, unrestrained access for all humanitarian aid, and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.’
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, denounced the commission’s proposal as ‘morally and politically distorted.’ In a public statement, he expressed Israel’s hope that these measures would not be enacted, asserting that the nation would ‘continue to fight.’
Correction: An earlier version of this article, published on September 17, 2025, contained an error in quoting aid organization leaders. They had called for ‘urgent intervention,’ not ‘urgent invention.’ We regret the inaccuracy.
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