Gaza City – September 20, 2025 The Palestinian Civil Defence has reported that almost half of Gaza City’s residents—around 450,000 people—have fled since Israel began its latest large-scale military operation in August.
Officials say the humanitarian situation has reached a “total collapse.” Families are escaping en masse to already overcrowded areas where resources are scarce, clean water is limited, and medical care is nearly impossible to access.
“Most of the areas people are moving to are under-resourced and cannot provide even the most basic necessities,” a Civil Defence spokesperson said. “The tragedies keep unfolding in different ways. People live in constant uncertainty, unsure if they will ever see their homes again. For many, this feels like the final displacement.”
Israel launched the current assault on Gaza City in early August, claiming it aimed to dismantle what it describes as Hamas’s remaining military infrastructure in the north. The offensive has included heavy bombardments and ground incursions, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate.
The United Nations and humanitarian groups warn that the continuing displacement is deepening Gaza’s crisis, which they already describe as one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes. Before this latest operation, more than 85 percent of Gaza’s population had already been displaced at least once since the war began in October 2023.
The mass exodus from Gaza City adds to fears that large parts of the enclave may soon become uninhabitable. Aid groups say shelters in the south are beyond capacity, with families crammed into schools, tents, and makeshift camps without proper sanitation or electricity.
Despite repeated international appeals, access for humanitarian aid remains restricted, and efforts to broker a ceasefire have so far failed.
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