Water 'more precious than gold': Palestinians fleeing Gaza City face perilous journey south
The Israeli ground invasion of Gaza City has caused massive waves of displacement and intensified struggles to survive with little or no water, shelter, food, or sanitation.
NUSEIRAT, Gaza Strip — The Israeli military's ground invasion of Gaza City, ongoing for more than a month now, has caused new waves of displacement toward the southern Gaza Strip, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians continue to flee under life-threatening conditions. Most lack the basic services of water, food, sanitation, and shelter during the journey, and many will also not find them when they arrive at their destination.
On Aug. 20, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the start of a major assault on Gaza City, which he referred to as Hamas' last stronghold, marking a major escalation in the conflict approaching the two-year mark.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday cited data by the Site Management Cluster, documenting the displacement of more than 388,400 Palestinians between Aug. 14 and Sept. 23, with the majority fleeing Gaza City.
Since the beginning of the war that erupted Oct. 7, 2023, with Hamas’ cross-border assault in southern Israel, the Israeli military has issued multiple evacuation orders for Gaza residents to move south. Adel Ibrahim and his family of five are refusing to leave their home in the Nasr neighborhood, in Gaza City, despite the daily explosions around them and the lack of water and electricity.
