Israel has issued expulsion orders for nearly one million Palestinian residents of Gaza City ahead of a planned ground offensive to occupy the famine-stricken city.
On Tuesday, residents were ordered to move south to the al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, a narrow coastal strip that represents just three percent of Gaza, and is already severely overcrowded with hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
The Israeli military described al-Mawasi as a “humanitarian zone”, despite repeatedly bombing the area, including as recently as Monday.
The order comes as Israeli forces continue to heavily bombard Gaza City, amid a shelling campaign that began nearly a month ago and is now intensifying.
It follows Israel’s declared decision to occupy the Gaza Strip, starting with the seizure of Gaza City.
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Shortly after dawn on Tuesday, Israeli air strikes hit a home in the al-Shati refugee camp, “massacring” members of the Hosary family, according to local media.
At least 25 people are believed to be trapped beneath the rubble, most of them feared dead.
“There are people crying out from beneath the rubble, and we lack the heavy equipment needed to rescue them and save lives,” a Palestinian Civil Defence official told Al Araby TV.
Meanwhile, Israeli fighter jets have flattened dozens of high-rise buildings in Gaza City in recent days.
The first moments documenting the complete destruction of Al-Roya 2 Tower in Gaza City, after being targeted with multiple missiles by Israeli warplanes. pic.twitter.com/E4BpjCjgoI
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) September 8, 2025
These towers had sheltered scores of internally displaced families. Their destruction has pushed thousands onto the streets, with no available shelter.
“The attacks on residential towers in Gaza have displaced dozens of families, many left on the streets without shelter or basic necessities,” said Unrwa, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
“With humanitarian access severely restricted, the suffering of already displaced persons is only deepening.”
‘Alternative is death’
Dr Munir Albursh, director of the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, warned that the expulsion orders will further endanger civilians and patients, particularly in hospitals.
“Forced displacement under catastrophic humanitarian and health conditions is unacceptable, and hospitals are not safe,” Albursh told local media.
He added that doctors and medical staff would remain with their patients and refuse evacuation.
“Over 200 ICU patients are dependent on ventilators. Evacuating them would mean killing them instantly,” he said.
“We will not leave our hospitals or abandon our patients. The alternative is death.”
At the same time, the Palestinian health ministry reported that six more Palestinians died from malnutrition on Monday, amid the Israeli-imposed famine.
Since October 2023, a total of 399 people, including 140 children, have died from hunger under Israel’s siege.
In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed global hunger-monitoring body, officially declared a famine in Gaza City for the first time.
Despite this, Israel has continued to enforce a near-total blockade, preventing the entry of essential goods.
Since the beginning of the genocide in 2023, Israeli forces have killed more than 64,500 Palestinians and wounded over 160,000, according to health authorities in Gaza.
Israeli military data shows that more than 80 percent of those killed are civilians.
