Gaza on the Brink: Civilians Squeezed Between Evacuation Orders and Relentless Strikes

By Ephraim Agbo 

More than 700,000–1.2 million civilians in Gaza City are once again confronted with a devastating choice: obey Israeli evacuation orders and move south to what the military calls a “humanitarian zone,” or stay behind in neighbourhoods facing intensified air and ground strikes. For many, neither option feels safe.

Evacuation Orders vs. Ground Realities

In the past two weeks, Israel has issued at least three major evacuation orders directing civilians toward the southern strip near Khan Younis and Al-Mawasi. Officials insist these areas are safer and have humanitarian corridors.

But according to UN OCHA, more than 80% of Gaza’s population (over 1.7 million people) is already displaced. Aid agencies say the “safe zones” are severely overcrowded, with tens of thousands of families crammed into makeshift tents. Reports confirm that even in these designated areas, airstrikes have killed dozens in recent days.

Humanitarian Toll in Numbers

• 60% of housing units in Gaza have been destroyed or severely damaged since October 2023.
• UNICEF estimates at least 17,000 children are now unaccompanied or separated from their families.
• In August alone, over 1,500 malnourished children under five were admitted to emergency feeding centers.
• Food insecurity is extreme: 9 in 10 households in Gaza report skipping meals daily.

These figures translate into scenes of desperation — mothers boiling weeds for food, families drinking contaminated water, and hospitals operating at less than 30% capacity due to lack of fuel and supplies.

Gaza City Under Siege

Airstrikes have repeatedly targeted high-rise towers in Gaza City, which Israel says Hamas uses for command and control. Witnesses describe 15-minute evacuation warnings before buildings collapse. Residents say entire neighbourhoods are destroyed within hours.

In one strike last week, a 12-story residential tower housing over 250 people was flattened. Survivors fled with little more than plastic bags of belongings. “There is no other place for me,” one man said, echoing the reality of thousands who have been displaced three or more times already during this war.

Hostages and Domestic Pressure in Israel

Inside Israel, families of the roughly 20 remaining hostages believed to be in Gaza continue to rally in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square. Protesters argue that a major ground offensive would almost certainly endanger their loved ones.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu insists controlling Gaza City is necessary to defeat Hamas. Polls show 55–60% of Israelis support the military push, but a growing minority fear the humanitarian cost and international backlash.

Regional and International Alarm

• Egypt warns that pushing civilians south amounts to “forced displacement”, not voluntary evacuation.
• The UN has appealed for $2.5 billion in emergency aid for Gaza, but less than 40% has been funded.
• International observers warn of long-term fallout: regional instability, radicalization, and worsening diplomatic isolation for Israel if civilian suffering deepens.

Closing Reflection

For Gaza’s civilians, the stark numbers only mask an unbearable truth: there is no safe place. Whether in Gaza City’s bombed-out towers or in the overcrowded camps of the south, families are living through the collapse of daily life. For Israel, the numbers reveal a grim calculus — each strike, each order, each hostage still held tightens the knot of war.

The coming weeks will likely decide whether Gaza City becomes the site of a drawn-out urban war — with consequences for over 2.3 million people — or whether mounting diplomatic and humanitarian pressure forces a shift toward ceasefire and negotiation.