Israel's military pushed deeper into Gaza city on Tuesday in its operation to seize the area, forcing more Palestinians to flee the violence on gridlocked roads in lorries at exorbitant prices.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said “Gaza is burning” after heavy air strikes hit the city, while military spokesman Lt Col Avichay Adraee again ordered residents to leave, saying 40 per cent had already done so.
The push to control the city came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared America's “unwavering support” for Israel's pursuit of Hamas during a visit to Jerusalem.
For Gazans, there was panic as many attempted to escape, only to find routes blocked and lorry drivers demanding hundreds of dollars for the journey out.
“A hell beyond description,” resident Aya Rajab, 31, said of her experience as helicopters circled her home west of Gaza city overnight. She told The National they flew so low that the sound rattled her bones and bullet casings rained down on her roof.
She and her three children stayed awake all night, uncertain if they would live to see the sunrise, she added.
The Israeli military said its troops were moving deeper as part of a “transition into the main phase of the plan for Gaza city”.
Israel says the area is a major Hamas stronghold housing between 2,000 and 3,000 fighters, with the military operation aiming to neutralise the group's central command.
The army said “thousands” more Israeli troops will join the effort to conquer the city.
Many Gazans told The National they had no way to flee or secure transport to safety, with some lorry drivers charging up to US$1,000 for a ride out.
The only available route, by Al Rashid Road in the west of Gaza, was clogged with families moving south, some stuck for 12 hours or more, Ms Rajab told The National. “Death feels easier than this kind of suffering,” she said.
Mohammed Al Amsi, 27, said he, his sisters and their families tried to escape on a lorry piled high with their belongings. But after 10 hours on a congested road, an Israeli air strike forced the driver to turn back. With the journey aborted, Mr Al Amsi returned to Gaza city, only to find himself trapped. Every lorry was booked and any places left were selling for a thousand dollars, he said.
If they cannot find a vehicle, he and 24 relatives, including children and the elderly, had resolved to walk, he said. “The situation is unbearable, and the longer it lasts, the worse it gets.”
Israel's push into the city came a day after Arab and Islamic nations condemned its actions at an emergency summit in Doha. They criticised what they called a flurry of Israeli aggression, from the Gaza war to Israel's strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar last week and bombardments of Lebanon, Syria and Iran, as well as its policies of settlement and expansion in the West Bank.
However, many Gazans lamented the lack of action from the Doha meeting, saying it would do nothing to alleviate their suffering.
“We thought the Arab summit might help,” Mr Al Amsi told The National. “But the statements disappointed us - no threat to Israel, no pressure.”
Another Gaza city resident, Tayseer Faraj, 36, said Gaza’s destruction would continue regardless of diplomacy. “The occupation tramples over agreements and condemnations,” he said.
Mr Rubio said the window of opportunity to reach a ceasefire was closing.
“Well, as you saw the Israelis have begun to take operations there. So, we think we have a very short window of time in which a deal can happen,” he said. “We don’t have months any more, and we probably have days and maybe a few weeks, so it's a key moment – an important moment.”
Israel's leaders have remained defiant in the face of international criticism. Defence Minister Katz said “Gaza is burning” in a post to X on Tuesday morning. “The [military] is striking with an iron fist at the terrorist infrastructure and soldiers are fighting heroically,” he added. “We will not relent and we will not go back – until the completion of the mission.”
Shortly after his post, UN investigators released a damning report accusing Israel of committing genocide in an effort to “destroy the Palestinians”. They also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials of incitement to the cause.
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which does not speak on behalf of the world body and has faced Israeli criticism, found that “genocide is occurring in Gaza and is continuing to occur”.
The commission is not a legal body, but its reports can influence diplomatic pressure and serve as evidence for later use by courts.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said it “categorically rejects this distorted and false report and calls for the immediate abolition of this commission of inquiry”.
The military also denied the accusations, highlighting its efforts to minimise civilian harm. It said it had recently fixed a new water line in Gaza providing 14 billion litres daily.
Mr Netanyahu and Mr Rubio said on Monday that the only way to end the conflict is the elimination of Hamas and the release of the 48 hostages held by the group. About 20 of them are believed to be alive.
Hamas has said it will only free the hostages in return for Palestinian detainees held in Israel, as well as a lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
While the wrangling continues, Gazans continue to pay the price. “The children cry with every sound of shelling and gunfire. You feel like you wish you had never been born, never had children,” Mr Faraj told The National.
He and his six children chose to flee Gaza city for the south of the enclave, leaving behind what he said would be certain death.
“Gaza is a place where survival itself is a daily negotiation,” he said.
