“This is Eternal Displacement”: Thousands Forced to Flee as Israeli Onslaught Engulfs Gaza City

“No one is spared—no old person, no child, no woman. No human being is spared.”

Israeli tanks, backed by warplanes and quadcopters, are advancing deeper into Gaza City, flattening entire neighborhoods and leaving civilians with nowhere to flee. The assault is intensifying amid a deepening famine, with Palestinians dying of starvation daily. Airstrikes continue to strike central and southern Gaza, and the past weeks have marked one of the deadliest periods for journalists since Israel’s campaign began — at least 11 killed in just two separate bombardments.

Palestinians describe the operation to seize Gaza City — the territory’s largest urban center, where up to a million displaced people are sheltering — as an effort to ethnically cleanse and crush what remains.

On Tuesday, thousands of residents were forced to flee the al-Saftawi neighborhood, just north of Sheikh Radwan, as Israeli tanks and warplanes leveled entire blocks.

“For about a week now, it’s been constant bombing, shelling, and destruction,” said Ramy, a resident displaced from al-Saftawi, speaking to Drop Site News. “Today we were shocked when the army raided our area and bombed it. We were terrified, really terrified. A quadcopter appeared and gave us an order: ‘You have six hours to evacuate.’”

As Ramy spoke, families hurried to stack thin mattresses and a handful of belongings onto the few cars, motorized rickshaws, and donkey carts still moving in the area. Most had no choice but to leave on foot, carrying little more than plastic bags. Since the war began, over 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced—many of them multiple times.

“We’re leaving, but we don’t know where to go. We want to leave— but to where?”
_{Ramy, Gaza City}

There is no safe place in Gaza. Even going south is nearly impossible: no money, no transportation, nothing. It’s extremely difficult, disastrous. There’s no healthcare, no food, no aid, no tents—nothing. This is eternal displacement. Not just forced—eternal. What we are experiencing is endless displacement. Our children are sick, our women are sick, people are dying of hunger—and still, we are being uprooted again.”

The clearing of Palestinians from al-Saftawi comes as Israel pounds Gaza City’s eastern districts—Shejaiya, Zeitoun, and Sabra.

Since August 14, when Israel began its assault on the city, more than 36,000 Palestinians have been displaced, the UN reports. Most fled to Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, while thousands more crowded into Khan Younis.

“The situation is tragic—no one is spared: not the elderly, not the children, not the women,” said a man displaced from Jabalia Al-Nazla, speaking to Drop Site News. “What’s happening now is forced displacement—against our will.”

Church leaders in Gaza City declared Wednesday they will not abandon the city. “Trying to flee south would be nothing less than a death sentence,” read a joint statement from the Greek Orthodox and Latin Patriarchates of Jerusalem, vowing to remain and care for those sheltering in their compounds.

At the same time, Israel pressed ahead with its plan to seize Gaza City. An army spokesperson said “evacuating Gaza City is inevitable” and released a new map pointing Palestinians to areas in central and southern Gaza he claimed were empty ahead of the “next phase of the war.”

“It’s been ten days now, and every day the Israelis keep pressing. Jabalia town and Jabalia Al-Nazla have been completely destroyed,” Mohammed Abu Al-Saeed told Drop Site. “There’s no house left, no stone, no street—nothing. Just a while ago, we were shocked when tanks and bulldozers reached Saftawi roundabout. When people saw that, they fled in terror.”

“Even if we wanted to evacuate, we wouldn’t know where to go,” he added. “There is no safe place in Gaza. Young people are dying in the streets. Women are dying in the streets. We’ve become a displaced people.”

For many, fleeing south is simply not an option. With fuel scarce, the cost of a car ride from north to south can reach 2,000 shekels (about $600), far beyond what most can pay. And even in central and southern Gaza, Israeli attacks continue. As the assault drives people westward, Gaza City’s coastline has turned into a sprawling encampment of tents.

“We simply can’t go south, and the reason is clear: lack of money,” Hamed Hleiwa, a Gaza City resident, told Drop Site, near the tent where he is sheltering with his children. “We don’t have the basics to move—no jeeps, no cars, not enough food. And even if we could, the south—Al-Mawasi in Khan Younis—is already overcrowded. It’s packed with people from Rafah, from Khan Younis, and from the north who haven’t returned. There’s simply no space.”

“Displacement requires essentials: food, money, transportation. So even if I’m going to die here (Gaza City), I won’t leave,” Hleiwa added. “I would leave, but I can’t.”

Source: Abdel Qader Sabbah | Drop Site News