Israeli strikes force nore Gazans to flee as fighting nears city center

Israeli bombardment forced more Palestinians to flee their homes in Gaza City on Thursday, even as thousands of residents defied military orders to leave, choosing instead to remain amid the ruins in the path of Israel’s latest advance.

Health authorities in Gaza said at least 28 people were killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave during the day, with most of the casualties reported in Gaza City.

The deaths came as Israeli forces pressed deeper into the northern metropolis, advancing through its battered suburbs and drawing within a few kilometers of the city center.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes as families gathered what belongings they could and moved southward, while others stayed behind in damaged apartment blocks and makeshift shelters.

“We have nowhere else to go,” said one resident, standing near a collapsed building in the Shujaiya district. “If we die, we die here.”

The Israeli military has repeatedly urged civilians to evacuate northern Gaza, warning that Hamas fighters continue to operate from residential areas and fortified positions.

But many residents say repeated displacements have left them with no safe refuge, with much of the enclave under bombardment.

The latest advance comes amid one of the most intense phases of the nearly year-long conflict, with Israeli officials vowing to dismantle Hamas’s remaining military infrastructure in Gaza.

Military analysts say the battle for Gaza City — the enclave’s largest urban center — could prove decisive in determining the course of the war.

Humanitarian agencies warn that the fighting has already created a dire crisis, with dwindling access to food, medicine, and clean water for the city’s remaining residents.

“The scale of destruction and displacement is immense,” said a spokesperson for a UN relief agency.

“Every day that passes, the civilian toll deepens.”

Despite the mounting pressure, thousands of Gazans continue to stay behind, unwilling or unable to leave their homes as Israeli forces close in.