Satellite images show mass evacuation from northern Gaza amid Israeli ground offensive in Gaza City
New satellite imagery shows the massive evacuation of Palestinians from northern Gaza and Gaza City, where the Israeli military has intensified bombardments and started a ground invasion over the last week.
Between Sept. 4 - 15, thousands of tents that had been set up in empty lots among the ruins of Gaza City, as well as along the coast and in less urban areas of the north, have either disappeared or decreased dramatically in number, the images show.
Large tent camps in Sheikh Radwan, Al-Shati Refugee Camp, and Rimal—neighborhoods west of Jabalia in northern Gaza—have almost entirely vanished, according to the imagery.
Less than two miles to the south, smaller but densely populated camps in Gaza City's Al-Zaytoun and Tuffah neighborhoods have also emptied out compared to the beginning of September, images show.
Displaced Palestinians seeking safety in tent camps along the coast of northern Gaza appear to have also evacuated in large numbers. Satellite images comparisons show a dramatic reduction of tents in the area of Gaza City's port and further south.
However, satellite and supporting video filmed from a high rise on Al Rashid, a major road that runs through Gaza, shows tent camps remain dotted along the coastal road south of Gaza's port.
Even though the Israeli military said around 400.000 Palestinians have evacuated following its mandatory order, over half a million are estimated to still be in northern Gaza.
Some smaller tent clusters remain in Gaza City itself, where residents say they have no resources to attempt another displacement.
"I don't have the money to leave northern Gaza for the south," Mohammed Almodali, a resident of Al-Karamah in Gaza City, told ABC News on Wednesday. "I am about to be surrounded by tanks," he said, adding he was fearing for his life and that of his eight relatives.
The Israeli military began a ground offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said.
"We are launching a powerful attack on the Hamas stronghold in Gaza City," the IDF said.
Israeli officials issued an order calling for all residents of the city to evacuate a week ago, saying at the time that the Israeli military would operate "with great force" within Gaza City.
It will likely take "a few months" for Israeli forces to complete their mission in Gaza City, IDF Spokesperson Effie Defrin said during a briefing in Hebrew Tuesday.
Over 65,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. More than 1,200 people were killed in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack, and about 250 people were kidnapped, according to Israeli officials.
Hospitals across the Gaza Strip recorded 98 deaths, including 7 aid-seekers, in the past 24 hours due to Israeli military actions, the health ministry added.
