As international concerns escalate regarding the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians trapped in Gaza City amidst intense Israeli bombardment and an expanding ground offensive, the Israeli military announced a new evacuation route would open on Wednesday.
Prior to Tuesday’s announcement of a broadened offensive, residents of Gaza City were instructed by the military to move to a designated humanitarian zone in the south. By Tuesday evening, over 350,000 people had already evacuated the northern city, crowding onto the coastal road. However, an estimated half a million individuals remained.
A further “temporary route” along Salah al-Din Road, leading south, was declared open by the military on Wednesday. A statement issued in Arabic on social media indicated that this route would be accessible for 48 hours, beginning at noon local time on Wednesday.
This long-anticipated ground offensive immediately drew strong criticism from both Israel’s allies and various aid organizations. They warned that the assault would severely exacerbate the already desperate humanitarian crisis and jeopardize any potential diplomatic efforts to resolve the almost two-year conflict.
[Image: A man and child walk along a coastal road, carrying belongings, as a vehicle passes. This image captures Palestinians fleeing Gaza City on Tuesday.]
The Israeli government maintains that taking control of Gaza City is crucial to prevent Hamas from reorganizing and orchestrating future attacks, such as the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel that initiated the current conflict.
Gaza continued to experience intense airstrikes. The Israeli military confirmed on Wednesday morning that over 150 strikes had been carried out within the preceding 48 hours.
[Image: Smoke plumes rise over the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, casting a somber shadow over a landscape marked by destruction.]
Salah al-Din Road, a main artery running north-to-south through the enclave, connects Gaza City to the southern urban centers of Khan Younis and Rafah. This journey can take up to seven hours on foot. Although previously designated as an evacuation corridor by the Israeli military, a report from Human Rights Watch last year concluded that the road was ‘rarely, if ever, safe’ and had been subjected to Israeli attacks.
The ground assault on Gaza City coincided with a statement from a United Nations commission investigating the conflict, which accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians. Israel has vehemently rejected these accusations.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Gazans and multiple displacements for the majority of the population. Hunger is widespread throughout the enclave, and just last month, a U.N.-supported panel of food experts identified famine conditions in Gaza City—a finding that Israel has disputed.
A report from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Wednesday stated that no food aid had reached northern Gaza since Friday. This followed the closure of the critical Zikim border crossing by the Israeli military.
According to the report, aid organizations expressed ‘grave concerns’ that fuel and food supplies in northern Gaza would be exhausted within days. This critical situation stems from the absence of direct aid entry points into northern Gaza and the escalating difficulties and dangers of resupplying from the south due to road congestion and insecurity.
This statement contrasted with an account provided by COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for humanitarian aid to Gaza. COGAT reported online that 230 aid trucks had entered Gaza on Tuesday via the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south and the Zikim crossing in the north.
While COGAT did not clarify the discrepancy between its figures and those from the United Nations, it affirmed in a statement that ‘the entry of trucks through the Zikim crossing will be facilitated subject to operational considerations.’
[Image: Children, some with empty pots, wait in a sandy encampment near Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, for a food distribution truck on Wednesday.]
COGAT further declined to disclose specific details regarding the number of trucks that successfully reached Gaza City on Tuesday.
The U.N. report resonated with a joint statement released Wednesday by the leaders of 20 prominent aid organizations, collectively calling for ‘urgent intervention’ in Gaza.
These aid officials described the situation in Gaza as ‘unconscionable in its inhumanity,’ detailing a litany of suffering: rampant death, severe injuries, widespread famine and destruction, children unable to sleep due to constant airstrikes, and some even wishing for death to reunite with lost loved ones.
The comprehensive statement bore the signatures of leaders from organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam International, and Save the Children. It asserted that their humanitarian efforts had been ‘obstructed every step of the way’—allegations that Israel has consistently refuted.
Regarding Israel’s evacuation orders for Gaza City, the organizations warned that without immediate action, Gaza stands ‘on the precipice of an even deadlier period.’
Gaza’s health ministry reported Wednesday afternoon that almost 100 people had been killed and nearly 400 wounded in the last 24 hours. The ministry, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant casualties, also noted that emergency crews were unable to reach many individuals trapped beneath debris.
Calls for action were echoed by Arab nations, as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar jointly condemned the ground offensive on Wednesday. Qatar specifically labeled the Gaza City operation as 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 its territory was recently targeted by an Israeli strike on Hamas officials.
Amidst growing international outrage over the ground assault, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed suspending favorable trade terms and imposing sanctions on certain Israeli ministers. These measures are intended to underscore demands for an end to the conflict.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, declared in a statement: ‘The horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop.’ She emphasized the need for ‘an immediate cease-fire, unrestrained access for all humanitarian aid, and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.’
Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, denounced the commission’s proposal as ‘morally and politically distorted.’ In a statement, he expressed Israel’s hope that these measures would not be implemented, affirming the country’s intent to ‘continue to fight.’