Israel on Wednesday announced a “temporary” evacuation route for residents fleeing Gaza City, as its forces pressed a major ground offensive following days of heavy bombardment.
Military spokesman Avichay Adraee said the route, running along Salah al-Din Street, would remain open for 48 hours only.
ALSO READ: Israeli airstrikes leave children dead, residents describe horror in Gaza City
Evidence of genocide
A day earlier, UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned that evidence pointing to genocide in Gaza was mounting as Israeli forces intensified their assault on the territory’s main city.
“We see the piling up of war crime after war crime after war crime, of crime against humanity, and potentially even more,” Türk told AFP and Reuters. He stressed that whether genocide had occurred would ultimately be for international courts to decide but added: “We see the evidence mounting.”
Israel rejected the accusation as “distorted and false.” Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Humanitarian crisis deepens
Netanyahu’s offensive, framed as a mission to destroy Hamas and free hostages, has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead – often entire families.
The UN describes the destruction in Gaza as unprecedented in recent history, with at least 78 percent of buildings damaged or destroyed, including schools and hospitals. Almost all of the territory’s two million residents have been displaced, many multiple times.
Humanitarian aid has reached Gaza only sporadically. Israel enforced a complete blockade on supplies for 11 weeks from March 2025, easing restrictions only in late May. By August, a UN-backed report declared parts of the territory to be in famine – a finding Israel disputes, accusing Hamas of seizing aid.
ALSO READ: UN rights chief demands end to ‘carnage’ in Gaza City
You must be logged in to post a comment.