September 11,2025, Gaza City, Gaza
The Israeli military’s order for a complete evacuation of Gaza City is the precursor to a planned expanded ground and air military operation aimed at what it describes as Hamas’s final stronghold. The directive, delivered via airdropped leaflets and other communications, is part of a strategy to clear the area of civilians before intensifying its offensive.
Reports from the ground indicate that the military has already begun to escalate its actions, flattening residential towers and conducting airstrikes on crowded neighborhoods in the city. The operation has been codenamed “Gideon’s Chariots 2” and aims to fully occupy Gaza City. The move has drawn strong condemnation from international aid organizations, who have warned of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The Norwegian Refugee Council and Doctors Without Borders have stated that a mass evacuation cannot be conducted safely or with dignity and that the ongoing offensive is a “death sentence” for the over one million people who remain in the city.
Despite the warnings, many residents are choosing to stay. They cite a number of reasons, including the high cost of transportation, the exhaustion of multiple displacements, and the lack of safe, secure, and properly equipped shelters in the designated “humanitarian zones” in the south. The international community, including UNICEF, has voiced deep concern, highlighting that the humanitarian situation is already dire, with famine spreading and the health system on the brink of total collapse. The planned expanded operation is expected to further jeopardize the lives of countless civilians, as well as the delivery of critical aid.
