‘The bombing has been insane’: Palestinians flee Israeli assault on Gaza City | World News
Displaced Palestinians flee northern Gaza along the coastal road toward the south, after Israel’s military says its expanded operation in Gaza City has begun and warns residents to leave, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo)
Israel has begun a major ground assault on Gaza City, saying it is targeting Hamas fighters, while thousands of Palestinians are fleeing the area on foot, in vehicles or with carts.
A senior Israel Defence Forces (IDF) official told Reuters that ground troops were moving deeper into the city and that up to 3,000 Hamas fighters were believed to remain. Defence Miner Israel Katz wrote on X, “Gaza is burning. The IDF strikes with an iron f at the terror infrastructure and IDF soldiers are fighting bravely to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”
עזה בוערת. צה”ל מכה באגרוף פלדה בתשתיות הטרור וחיילי צה”ל נלחמים בגבורה ליצירת התנאים לשחרור החטופים ולהכרעת החמאס. לא נרפה ולא נשוב לאחור – עד להשלמת המשימה.— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) September 16, 2025
‘We paid 3,500 shekels for the ride‘
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Many residents told the BBC they were forced to leave after receiving evacuation orders from the Israeli army. Lina al-Maghrebi, a mother of three from Sheikh Radwan, said: “I was forced to sell my jewellery to cover the cost of displacement and a tent. It took us 10 hours to reach Khan Younis, and we paid 3,500 shekels (£735) for the ride. The line of cars and trucks seemed endless.”
The Israeli military has said al-Rashid coastal road is the only permitted route for civilians. Families reported severe congestion and long delays as airstrikes continued overhead.
‘They are destroying residential towers’
Others told Reuters they had lost relatives in the bombardment. Abu Mohammed Hamed said some of his family members were killed or trapped under rubble: “We don’t know how to take her out. We have been working on it since 3 a.m.”
A 70-year-old man, Abu Tamer, said: “They are destroying residential towers, the pillars of the city, mosques, schools and roads. They are wiping out our memories.”
‘The bombardment has been insane’
Residents who stayed behind described the overnight strikes as some of the heaviest yet. Ghazi al-Aloul, who is now sleeping outside al-Quds Hospital, told the BBC: “The bombardment has been insane for hours, and the army is threatening to demolish several residential buildings in the area.”
Sami Abu Dalal, from al-Daraj, said: “Whole residential blocks were levelled on top of their inhabitants, leaving many dead, missing or injured.”
International response
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the situation in Gaza was “horrendous” and “morally, politically and legally intolerable.” A UN Commission of Inquiry has accused Israel of committing genocide, which Israel dismissed as “scandalous” and “fake.”
In Washington, President Donald Trump told reporters Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it used hostages as human shields. In Brussels, the EU executive said it planned to impose new sanctions on Israel.
