• Internet, phone lines cut off across Gaza City
• Gazans flee bombardment, head south on foot, in vehicles and on donkey carts
• 85 Palestinians killed in strikes, gunfire; Israeli loses four soldiers

GAZA CITY: Israeli tanks and jets pounded Gaza City, the target of a major ground offensive, on Thursday, prompting Palestinians to flee south, where the Israeli military announced the deaths of four soldiers.

AFP journalists and witnesses saw a steady stream of Gazans heading south on foot, in vehicles and on donkey carts — their meagre belongings piled high.

“There is artillery fire, air strikes, quadcopter and drone gunfire. The bombing never stops,” said Aya Ahmed, 32, sheltering with 13 relatives in Gaza City.

“The world doesn’t understand what is happening. They (Israel) want us to evacuate south — but where will we live? There are no tents, no transport, no money.”

Palestinians say the cost of a ride to the south has soared, in some cases topping $1,000.

“The situation is indescribable — crowds everywhere, the sound of explosions, women and men crying and screaming as they walked while carrying their belongings,” said Shadi Jawad, 47, describing his family’s ordeal as they fled their home on Wednesday.

The offensive has sparked international outrage, with the territory already devastated by the war and the Gaza City area gripped by a UN-declared famine. It comes ahead of a planned move by several countries, including France and Britain, to recognise a Palestinian state later this month at the UN.

Israeli tanks were advancing on Thursday in two Gaza City areas that are gateways to the city centre, while internet and phone lines were cut off across the Gaza Strip, a sign that ground operations were likely to further escalate imminently.

Israeli forces control Gaza City’s eastern suburbs and in recent days have been pounding the Sheikh Radwan and Tel Al-Hawa areas, from where they would be positioned to advance on central and western areas where most of the population is sheltering.

“We are scared, but what can we do?” said Bassam Al-Qanou, a displaced man sheltering with around 30 family members in one of countless ragged improvised tent camps along the city’s beach.

At least 85 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, most in Gaza City, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Later on Thursday, the Israeli military said four of its soldiers had been killed using an explosive device in Rafah, in southern Gaza.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2025