Gaza City is once again at the epicenter of intense conflict. The Israeli military has announced a new evacuation route for civilians on Wednesday, as the international community watches with growing alarm. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians remain trapped under a relentless bombardment and Israel’s expanding ground offensive.
This comes after the military’s directive on Tuesday for residents to move to a designated humanitarian zone in the south, promising aid. While approximately 350,000 people have already fled south along the crowded coastal road, an estimated half-million individuals are believed to still be in Gaza City.
The newly opened “temporary route” stretches south along Salah al-Din Road, as stated in an Arabic-language announcement on social media. This corridor is set to remain open for 48 hours, commencing at noon local time on Wednesday.
The commencement of this anticipated ground offensive has drawn sharp criticism from global allies and humanitarian organizations. They warn that it will exacerbate an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis and further undermine any potential for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, which has raged for nearly two years.
The Israeli government maintains that taking control of Gaza City is crucial to thwart Hamas’s ability to regroup and plan future attacks, similar to the devastating assault on Israel in October 2023 that initially sparked this war.
However, many residents who remain in Gaza City cite insurmountable challenges, including prohibitive transportation costs and a severe shortage of safe havens in the southern regions. Overnight, Gaza continued to endure heavy airstrikes, with the Israeli military confirming over 150 strikes in the past 48 hours.
An image shows Palestinians evacuating Gaza City along a coastal road amidst the ongoing conflict.
Another image depicts plumes of smoke billowing over the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, a stark visual of the intense bombardment.
Salah al-Din Road, a key artery running through the enclave, connects Gaza City to southern areas like Khan Younis and Rafah, a journey that can take up to seven hours on foot. Although previously designated as an evacuation corridor, a report last year by Human Rights Watch revealed it was “rarely, if ever safe,” and had been subjected to Israeli attacks.
The offensive on Gaza City is severely worsening an already catastrophic humanitarian situation. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of Gazan lives and forced countless individuals to flee their homes multiple times. Widespread hunger grips the enclave, with a UN-backed panel reporting famine in Gaza City last month—a finding that Israel has disputed.
Adding to the international outcry, a UN commission investigating the war declared on Tuesday that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians, an accusation vehemently denied by Israel.
This stark report compelled the leaders of 20 prominent aid organizations to issue a joint call for “urgent intervention” in Gaza on Wednesday.
These officials described the situation as “unconscionable,” detailing immense human suffering: widespread deaths and injuries, pervasive famine, extensive destruction, and children profoundly traumatized by daily airstrikes, some even expressing a desire to die.
The comprehensive statement, endorsed by key organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam International, and Save the Children, asserted that their aid delivery efforts have faced persistent obstruction—claims that Israel has repeatedly dismissed.
They warned that without immediate action, Israel’s evacuation orders for Gaza City could lead to “an even deadlier period” in the ongoing crisis.
Echoing these concerns, Arab nations including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have also condemned the ground offensive. Qatar, a mediator between Israel and Hamas, specifically labeled the Gaza City operation as a “flagrant violation of international law” that jeopardizes regional peace prospects, noting it followed an Israeli strike on Hamas officials within Qatar last week.
Amid the growing international outrage, the European Commission has proposed concrete actions, including suspending trade concessions and imposing sanctions on certain Israeli ministers. These measures aim to underscore demands for an immediate end to the conflict.
Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, emphatically stated, “The horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop.” She called for an immediate ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid access, and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.
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.”