A Palestinian woman carries the body of a baby killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City at dawn, before a funeral procession outside al-Shifa Hospital, on September 4, 2025 Omar al-QattaAFPPublished On 4 Sep 20254 Sep 2025The Israeli militarys indiscriminate bombing of Gaza City is reducing entire neighbourhoods to rubble, forcing residents to flee in panic, with nowhere safe in the enclave, which has been under unrelenting bombardment for 23 months.Israels round-the-clock assault on what UNICEF has dubbed the city of fear included an attack on a tent in the neighbourhood of Tal al-Hawa on Thursday that wiped out an entire family of five people, including three children.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israels genocide in Gaza is normalisedlist 2 of 3How to stop Israel from starving Gazalist 3 of 3As the attack on Gaza City intensifies, a look at what to expectend of listVideo footage of the attack showed Palestinians outside damaged tents, clearing up scattered belongings, including a pair of blood-stained pink slippers that lay among the debris.My children and I were sleeping in the tent when we heard the sound of bombing. Shrapnel fell on us, and my four children started screaming, Israa al-Basous told the AFP news agency.Attacks were reported in Gaza Citys Zeitoun, Sabra, Tuffah, Nassr and Shujayea districts, as the military erased entire neighbourhoods in its bid to drive out approximately one million people from the enclaves largest urban hub.Heavy bombardment in the Tuffah neighbourhood killed at least eight people and injured dozens more, according to Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson of the territorys civil emergency service.In Shujayea, an Israeli strike on a residential building killed at least two people, according to an ambulance source.
And in Zeitoun, three bodies were pulled out dead from under the rubble of a destroyed home that belonged to the al-Ghaf family.Theyre moving from one area to another that is less dangerous, but still within the range of Israeli military fire, the air strikes and bombardment, said Al Jazeeras Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City. Advertisement Mahmoud said many of the displaced were moving in the hope of finding safety for a few days, only to find themselves being displaced all over again.Many had fled to the citys Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, only to find tanks pushing into the area northwest of the city centre, destroying houses and causing fires in tent encampments.Hospitals were overwhelmed with casualties.
At Gaza Citys al-Shifa Hospital, the floor of the morgue was strewn with bodies wrapped in white shrouds.One woman stroked the head of her dead son as his body lay outside on a stretcher.Who are you leaving me to, son? Why? Why? she wept.Tess Ingram, UNICEFs communication manager for the Middle East and North Africa, warned that almost one million people were trapped in the city of fear, flight and funerals.In total, 44 were killed on Thursday in Gaza City. 75 killed across the enclaveAs terrified residents scattered in the aim of finding shelter from the bombs, Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said that troops now held 40 percent of the city.The operation, he said, would continue to expand and intensify in the coming days.Al Jazeeras Sanad fact-checking agency analysed satellite images that showed the heavy presence of more than 52 Israeli army vehicles in the Zeitoun neighbourhood.The images, dating from August 25 and September 1, demonstrate a clear pattern of forced displacement of residents from northern and central Gaza City towards the west in particular, along al-Rashid Street and the beach.Palestinians who have fled Gaza City over the past few months have found dire conditions further south, where the mass movement of people has further overcrowded tent camps and pushed prices of basic goods much higher.Shorouk Abu Eid, a pregnant woman from Gaza City, who was displaced to Khan Younis four months ago, said the arrival of more people from the north has worsened their plight.There is no privacy, no peace of mind, she told The Associated Press news agency.
In any case, fleeing Palestinians are likely to encounter death and destruction wherever they go.On Thursday, Israel also bombed central Gazas Nuseirat refugee camp, killing seven people, including three children.And in southern Rafah, Israeli forces fired at a group of people seeking aid near an aid distribution point, killing seven and injuring more.Across the enclave, 75 people were killed by Israeli army ground and air attacks since dawn.US blames France and others for Israeli abusesAs diplomatic efforts to find an end to the war in Gaza stuttered on, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to blame countries that plan to recognise a Palestinian state for Israels abuses in the occupied West Bank. Advertisement Israels annexation drive in the West Bank has been gaining steam in the shadow of its campaign of terror in Gaza.
*Reporting by Aljazeera.*
‘City of fear’: Palestinians trapped as Israel intensifies Gaza City attack
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