GazaHerald – Israel launched a heavy bombardment on Gaza City’s Al-Shati refugee camp on Thursday, flattening homes and destroying a school that had been sheltering displaced families. The densely populated camp, which spans just over half a square kilometer, has become a refuge for tens of thousands fleeing Israel’s escalating assault on the city.
According to local reports, at least 12 residential buildings were levelled in the strikes, leaving dozens more families homeless. Footage shared online shows widespread devastation, with families scrambling to flee amid the ongoing bombardment. Health authorities in Gaza reported that at least 50 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks on Friday as of 3 p.m. local time, including 37 in Gaza City alone.
Forcing Mass Displacement
The Palestinian Civil Defence accused the Israeli military of deliberately targeting residential areas “to destabilize Gaza City’s neighborhoods and force residents to flee towards the center and south of the Gaza Strip, disregarding the tragic humanitarian conditions they are experiencing.”
Israel’s offensive follows its approval of a plan to seize control of Gaza City as part of a broader strategy to occupy the entire Strip.
Since then, Gaza City has witnessed some of the deadliest bombardments since the start of Israel’s genocide two years ago.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Thursday that an estimated one million people remaining in Gaza City are “facing daily bombardment and struggling to access the means for survival” following Israel’s sweeping mass expulsion orders.
“As the Israeli offensive on famine-stricken Gaza City intensifies, people are once again being displaced, with no safe place to turn,” OCHA said.
Between Sunday and Wednesday, OCHA recorded more than 25,000 displacements. Since 14 August, at least 73,000 people have been forced to move south, though the majority of Gaza City’s population has refused to leave despite airstrikes, demolitions of high-rise towers, and the repeated issuance of expulsion orders.
Famine and Collapsing Services
The offensive is compounding an already dire famine officially declared in Gaza City last month. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Thursday that child malnutrition rates are “worsening at an alarming rate,” with 13.5 percent of children screened in August suffering acute malnutrition, a sharp rise from July.
The World Health Organization warned that nearly half of Gaza’s remaining functional hospitals are located in Gaza City, stressing the enclave “cannot afford to lose any of these remaining facilities.” At the same time, OCHA reported that 12 out of 49 outpatient nutrition sites in Gaza City have suspended services due to the intensifying violence.
Community kitchens have also been forced to shut down, with at least two ending operations entirely and three others relocating within the city.
As bombardments intensify, famine deepens, and hospitals collapse under strain, humanitarian agencies warn that Israel’s strategy is clear: to empty Gaza City of its population. Yet despite the devastation, hundreds of thousands remain in their homes, rejecting the campaign of forced displacement.
