Gaza, September 17, 2025: Gaza City witnessed its deadliest bombardment in two years of war on Tuesday, as Israeli air and ground assaults killed at least 91 people and forced tens of thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes.
High-rise buildings, homes, and mosques crumbled under relentless fire, with residents describing the city as engulfed in flames and smoke. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the assault as “horrendous,” while Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared on X: “Gaza is burning.”
The exodus of civilians clogged al-Rashid Street, where families on vans, donkey carts, and on foot carried whatever belongings they could. Many residents who had initially vowed to stay have now abandoned their homes, uncertain if they will ever return.
Health officials said among the dead were evacuees killed when an Israeli strike hit a vehicle on the coastal road. Seventeen residential buildings were destroyed across the city, including the Aybaki Mosque in the Tuffah neighbourhood.
The Israeli military has also deployed explosive-laden robots, reportedly capable of demolishing dozens of housing units at a time. Rights group Euro-Med Monitor said at least 15 such machines were already operating in Gaza City.
Reports indicated Israeli tanks were advancing from the north, south, and east, leaving entire neighbourhoods in ruins. The offensive comes as about one million Palestinians had returned to Gaza City during earlier phases of the war, though their numbers are now sharply declining.
- An Israeli army official estimated 350,000 had fled the city.
- Gaza’s Government Media Office reported 350,000 were displaced within Gaza City itself, while another 190,000 had left entirely.
Conditions for those fleeing remain dire. The overcrowded al-Mawasi camp in southern Gaza—already sheltering families displaced from Rafah and Khan Younis—has itself come under Israeli bombardment, leaving civilians with few safe havens.
