At least 52 killed after ‘another sleepless night’ across Gaza as Israel intensifies strikes, threatens residents to move south

Sep 15, 2025 News

(AL-JAZEERA) At least 52 people were killed on Sunday as artillery shelling and gunfire by Israeli forces were reported in Gaza City, as well as shelling from boats.

At least 52 killed after ‘another sleepless night’ across Gaza as Israel intensifies strikes, threatens residents to move south

Israeli air strikes hit and destroy a high-rise tower in Gaza City [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Anadolu]

The Israeli army is intensifying its military operations in the city, threatening Palestinians to evacuate southwards as attacks accelerate.

According to an army post on X, more than 250,000 people have reportedly fled the city. The military is urging remaining residents to travel via al-Rashid Street towards al-Mawasi or camps in central Gaza.

However, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said, “Despite intense bombardment in Gaza City, many residents have stayed put – or returned after seeking shelter elsewhere – because many of Israel’s designated evacuation zones are desperately overcrowded and under-resourced, including lacking proper water access.”

The United Nations estimates from late August indicated approximately one million Palestinians were living in and around Gaza’s largest urban centre, where famine conditions are taking hold after months of deteriorating circumstances.

The UN and international community have called on Israel to abandon its plans to capture the city, warning that such an assault could worsen the humanitarian crisis.

Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed on Saturday on X: “More than a quarter of a million residents of Gaza City have moved out of the city for their own safety.” Gaza’s Civil Defence agency contradicted this figure, reporting fewer than 70,000 people had managed to leave.

The Israeli military dropped leaflets Saturday, warning western district residents to evacuate amid continuous air raids. “The Israeli army is operating with very intense force in your area and is determined to dismantle and defeat Hamas,” the leaflets stated. “You have been warned.”

Mohammad Abu Salmiya, head of the al-Shifa Hospital, told the AFP news agency that while displacement continues within Gaza City, “only a small number of people have been able to reach the south”. He added that those who do flee south often find nowhere to stay, as “the al-Mawasi area is completely full and Deir el-Balah is also overcrowded”, causing many to return to Gaza City.

Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told AFP, “The actual number of displaced people from Gaza to the south is approximately 68,000 only. Many residents are still holding their ground, and many others cannot find space in the south.”

Bakri Diab, a 35-year-old father of four who fled western Gaza City, reported that air raids were continuing in the south as well. “Bombing happens here too – the south isn’t safe either,” he said. “All the occupation has done is force people to crowd into places with no basic services and no safety.”

Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, at least 64,871 people have been killed and 164,610 wounded in Israeli attacks, the enclave’s Health Ministry reports.

In a post on Telegram, the ministry said that in the past 24 hours, 68 bodies and 346 wounded patients were brought to hospitals in Gaza.

Moreover, the bodies of 10 aid seekers and 18 wounded aid seekers have arrived at hospitals in Gaza in the same time period.

Since the establishment of the US- and Israeli-backed GHF aid distribution sites at the end of May, at least 2,494 people have been killed in or near them and more than 18,135 wounded.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Gaza, Israel, Israeli army, Israeli forces, sleepless night

Latest News