Israeli occupation forces declared opening a “temporary corridor” on Tuesday for Palestinians to flee toward the south of Gaza. However, aerial bombardment and ground incursion continue unabated across Gaza City, killing scores.
Israeli occupation forces spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the corridor would stay open for 48 hours, after congestion on the coastal Rashid Street had left evacuees stranded under fire yesterday.
A day earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a “major military operation,” vowing to seize the city despite internal friction within his ranks.
“The occupation orders us to evacuate under fire, then targets those who try to leave,” A journalist in Sheikh Radwan told Al Manassa. Families in Al-Nasr and Tel Al-Hawa were given 20 minutes to flee before their towers were bombed. In Al-Rimal and Al-Sabra, drones strafed homes, forcing residents into the open.
Rescue crews pulled more than 40 bodies, with dozens still trapped under rubble. A missile killed a mother and child in Al-Shati camp; three others struck a fleeing family car, killing five.
Under “Operation Gideon’s Chariots 2,” divisions 98, 162, and 36 stormed Gaza City, while divisions 143 and 99 attacked Rafah, Khan Younis, and the north. The Israeli occupation forces claim they are prepared to further expand this ground offensive.
The military boasted of 850 airstrikes earlier in the week, to pave the way for the ground assault. On the ground, strikes leveled apartment blocks, schools, and homes, while booby-trapped robots terrorized residents in Sheikh Radwan, Al-Daraj, Al-Sabra, Tel Al-Hawa, and Al-Nasr.
Beyond Gaza City, an airstrike in Khan Younis killed five in a family tent, three of them children. In Al-Nuseirat, residents evacuated towers after Israeli threats, then saw missiles tear through their homes. Tanks advanced toward the Egyptian Housing Project in the northwest, while more explosive-laden robots detonated near Maqousi towers.
Samir Saadallah, 41, speaking to Al Manassa said he spent more than five hours stuck on the road with his family under bombardment and scorching heat. Others, like Kinan Dakka, 34, returned west and set up tents near Gaza’s port after failing to evacuate.
Hospitals are overwhelmed, treating patients on floors and in hallways. “Every corner of Gaza is screaming for help,” one medic told Al Manassa.
Thousands of forcibly evacuated families jammed the Rashid coastal road, waiting hours under shelling. Some gave up and camped by Gaza’s port. Even the new Salah Al-Din corridor proved lethal, with convoys hit en route.
Ongoing genocide toll
On Aug. 8, 2025, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan by Netanyahu to establish “full military control” over Gaza City. At the time, the army claimed it would provide temporary shelter materials to move Palestinians from combat zones to the south “for their safety.”
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s offensive on Gaza has killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians and injured more than 164,000 others, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The occupation has adopted a policy of starvation by blocking the entry of aid, leading to the deaths of 413 people, including 143 children, from starvation.
According to a recent study conducted by biochemist Dr. Gideon Polya, and sociologist Dr. Richard Hil, the total death toll of Israel's genocide in Gaza, through direct fire or indirectly through imposed deprivation, is likely close to 680,000 killed.
On Tuesday, an independent United Nations inquiry released its report concluding for the first time that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The UN Human Rights Council’s commission detailed that since the conflict escalated on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has carried out four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law: killing Palestinians, causing serious harm, deliberately inflicting destructive living conditions, and preventing births. The report cites statements by Israeli leaders and the extensive military campaign in Gaza as evidence of genocidal intent.
