At least 600,000 Palestinians are currently under siege in Gaza City amid the Israeli army's ongoing bombardment, encirclement, and expulsion campaign, the New Arab reported on 2 October.
On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that all Palestinians remaining in the city must abandon their homes, pass Israeli checkpoints, and move to tent encampments in the south, stressing that anyone who stays will be considered a “terrorist” or “terrorist supporter” and targeted by invading Israeli forces.
Now is the “last opportunity for Gaza residents” to move south, Katz said.
Israeli forces have currently blocked all travel northward on the Rashid coastal road, cutting off the city's last surviving lifeline for humanitarian aid and preventing Palestinians who had moved south temporarily in search of food and shelter from returning.
“The only safe road for bringing in food and medicine has been cut. Announcements and speeches mean nothing if aid cannot reach civilians,” stated Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson of the Gaza civil defense, in a press statement.
While the Israeli military expected a mass exodus to the south, between 600,000 and 700,000 Palestinians remain in Gaza City, the UN estimated
