Israeli tanks push into Gaza City as military opens temporary evacuation route

Israeli tanks advanced further around Gaza City on Wednesday as the Israel Defense Forces intensified operations aimed at routing Hamas fighters from the territory’s largest urban center, and the military opened a temporary evacuation route for civilians.

The IDF said it would reopen Salahudin Road for 48 hours to allow Palestinians to move south, a move intended to reduce civilian exposure during the expected heavy urban fighting. The army has positioned armored vehicles around the city’s central and western districts and said soldiers are attempting to clear remaining militants from populated areas.

Israeli officials said roughly 400,000 people have left Gaza City since a new phase of operations began on Aug. 10, but large numbers remain. An Israeli official cautioned it could take months to eliminate what the military describes as the last organized Hamas battalion in the city. The IDF estimated about 100,000 civilians could remain in the active combat zone during intense battles, while Palestinian authorities and aid groups say hundreds of thousands remain displaced across the Gaza Strip.

Hamas-run Gaza health authorities reported at least 40 people were killed in Wednesday’s fighting; those tallies do not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Local health officials and aid groups said recent shelling has struck a children’s hospital, forcing patients and families outdoors. Fikr Shalltoot, Gaza director at Medical Aid for Palestinians, said the hospital treated children with cancer, kidney failure and other life-threatening conditions and that even gravely ill children had been affected. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the hospital incidents.

Palestinians and United Nations officials have said there is no truly safe place inside the Gaza Strip amid the campaign. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that evacuation corridors cannot ensure safety for all civilians when hostilities are widespread, and UN agencies have reported overcrowded conditions and shortages of food, water and medical supplies in areas receiving displaced people.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has framed the operation in Gaza City as the most effective means to degrade Hamas and to increase pressure on the group to release 48 hostages taken by militants during the Oct. 7, 2023, rampage inside Israel. Israel has said its operations could be paused if a cease-fire deal were reached, but diplomatic prospects appeared limited after an Israeli strike last week killed members of a Hamas negotiating team in Qatar.

There have been reports of fatal strikes affecting civilians attempting to follow Israeli evacuation routes. Palestinian authorities said an airstrike killed five people who were leaving Gaza City for the south on Tuesday. Aid organizations have urged all parties to ensure civilian protection and clear humanitarian access.

Some Gaza residents said they would not leave. Displaced residents, many of whom have been forced from home multiple times since the war began, said they could not be certain of their ability to return or of a durable end to the conflict. “Even if we want to leave Gaza City, is there any guarantee we would be able to come back? Will the war ever end? That’s why I prefer to die here,” one resident told Reuters.

The scale and duration of the operation were unclear. Israeli commanders signaled that clearing an entrenched urban force would be a protracted effort, while international humanitarian organizations warned of mounting civilian suffering as access to shelter, medical care and basic services dwindles. With the fighting focused on densely populated neighborhoods, aid agencies said rapid and sustained humanitarian access would be critical to meet urgent needs.

Reporting compiled from multiple wire services.