The Israeli military intensified its ground assault on Gaza City on Friday, September 19, 2025, warning residents it would deploy “unprecedented force” against Hamas fighters as tanks and airstrikes hammered the territory’s largest urban center. The escalation, which began with a major incursion on Tuesday, comes amid a fresh United Nations report accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza—a finding that has drawn sharp rebukes from Israeli officials and renewed calls for international intervention nearly two years into the devastating war.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) issued stark evacuation orders via social media and leaflets, directing the estimated remaining population—down from about one million at the end of August—to flee southward along the coastal Al-Rashid road, the only remaining open route after the closure of the main Salah al-Din artery. “From this moment, Salah al-Din Road is closed for south-bound travel,” IDF Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X, urging civilians to “take this opportunity and join the hundreds of thousands of city residents who have moved south to the humanitarian area.” The military estimates that 480,000 people have evacuated Gaza City since late August, though Gaza’s civil defense agency put the figure at 450,000 as of Friday. Many families, burdened by elderly relatives, young children, and scant belongings, described harrowing journeys on foot or in overloaded vehicles, with some resorting to carts or sleeping on streets while awaiting transport they could ill afford.
The offensive aims to dismantle Hamas’s command structure and seize control of the city, which Israel views as the group’s symbolic stronghold. IDF troops, including armored and infantry divisions, have advanced deep into neighborhoods like al-Rimal and al-Sabra, dismantling over 20 suspected militant sites in the past day alone, according to military statements. Overnight strikes and tank fire have leveled buildings and infrastructure, with witnesses reporting “hellish” barrages that shook the enclave. Gaza health officials, citing hospital tallies, reported at least 22 deaths across the Strip on Friday, including 11 in Gaza City, bringing the war’s toll to nearly 65,000 Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023.
For those heeding the warnings, escape is no salvation. Nivin Ahmed, a 50-year-old mother of seven, recounted walking more than 15 kilometers to Deir el-Balah on Thursday, her family “crawling from exhaustion” as her youngest son wept from fatigue. “We took turns dragging a small cart with some of our belongings,” she told reporters. Mona Abdel Karim, 36, has spent two nights on Al-Rashid street with her elderly in-laws and children, too weak or ill to trek further without a vehicle. “I feel like I am about to explode,” she said, highlighting the prohibitive costs of transport amid widespread poverty and famine. Footage from the road showed endless lines of pedestrians and cars piled high with mattresses and essentials, snaking toward the southern “humanitarian area” of Al-Mawasi—a zone Israel designated early in the war but has repeatedly struck, citing Hamas presence.
The push into Gaza City unfolds against a grim international backdrop. Just days earlier, on September 16, a United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry released a 72-page report concluding that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, fulfilling four of the five acts outlined in the 1948 Genocide Convention: killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction, and imposing measures intended to prevent births. Chaired by former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, the panel analyzed statements from Israeli leaders—including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant—as direct evidence of genocidal intent, alongside patterns of conduct like starvation tactics and attacks on healthcare and fertility clinics. The report also documented “systematic” sexual and gender-based violence, direct targeting of children, and the destruction of educational and religious sites.
“The Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have had and continue to have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” the inquiry stated, holding the state responsible for failing to prevent or punish the acts. It urged Israel to immediately halt operations and comply with International Court of Justice provisional measures from March 2024, while calling on all states to enforce accountability. Amnesty International echoed the findings, warning that “the very existence of Palestinians in Gaza is under threat” as the offensive intensifies.
Israel vehemently rejected the report as “distorted and false,” with Netanyahu’s office insisting the war is a legitimate defense against Hamas, which killed 1,139 Israelis and took over 200 hostages on October 7, 2023—48 of whom remain captive. The IDF maintains it takes “all feasible measures” to minimize civilian harm and accuses Hamas of using human shields. Yet critics, including the European Commission, are preparing measures to pressure Israel, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas set to present a plan on Wednesday for member states to reassess ties. Canada labeled the offensive “horrific,” while Hamas decried it as “unprecedented” and “barbaric.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, a staunch ally, suggested the operation could hasten hostage releases, telling reporters the risks to captives might rise but “also may be freed” in the chaos. His administration continues providing military aid, even as the UN warns of famine gripping Gaza City, with 441 deaths attributed to starvation alone. Aid groups report overwhelmed hospitals and acute malnutrition among children, half of Gaza’s displaced population.
As smoke billows over Gaza City’s skyline and families press southward under fire, the offensive raises profound questions about the war’s endgame. Israel seeks to “force an end” by crippling Hamas, but with the enclave in ruins and global outrage mounting, the path to resolution remains as elusive as safety for those caught in the crossfire.
