On September 9, 2025, the Israeli military issued a sweeping evacuation order for all residents of Gaza City, marking a dramatic escalation in the ongoing conflict with Hamas. The order, delivered through a barrage of leaflets, social media posts, and official statements, warned that "staying in the city is extremely dangerous," as Israeli forces prepared to intensify operations in the besieged enclave. The directive followed the Israeli government's approval of a plan to seize Gaza City, underscoring its stated objective to eliminate Hamas, the organization it has been battling since October 2023, according to ABC News.
Avichay Adraee, the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) Arabic-language spokesman, made the message unmistakably clear: "All residents of Gaza City and all its neighborhoods, from the Old City and Tuffah in the east to the sea in the west, must immediately evacuate toward the humanitarian zone in Muwasi." The IDF directed civilians to move south toward Al-Mawasi, a coastal area designated as a humanitarian zone. The urgency was hammered home by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who addressed Gaza's residents in a video message posted on Telegram: "Listen carefully: You have been warned. Leave now."
For many Palestinians, the evacuation order was not just another grim announcement—it was a life-altering command. After a night of relentless strikes, families awoke to find leaflets fluttering down over the devastated city, accompanied by a map marking the route to safety. BBC reporters described the scene: as many as one million Palestinians—men, women, and children—were told to head south, away from their homes and into the uncertain refuge of Al-Mawasi. The humanitarian zone, according to the IDF, includes field hospitals, water pipelines, desalination facilities, and ongoing supplies of food, tents, medicines, and medical materials.
Yet, despite the warnings and the obvious risks, a significant number of residents remain in Gaza City. The reasons are as varied as they are heartbreaking. Some simply cannot afford the costs of evacuation and transportation. Others fear there won't be enough space in the overcrowded humanitarian zone, or they worry that evacuation itself could be perilous. As one resident told ABC News, "We have nowhere to go, and we don't know if anywhere is truly safe."
The evacuation order comes amid an intensifying military campaign. On September 8, the IDF began a series of daylight airstrikes targeting high-rise buildings in Gaza City. According to The Long War Journal, these raids destroyed several towers that the IDF claimed were being used by Hamas for intelligence gathering, storing explosive devices, and setting up observation posts. One of the first buildings targeted was the Mushtaha tower, a 13-story structure. The Sussi tower, a 15-story building in Tel al Hawa, and the Al Ruya building—home to clinics, human rights organizations, and law firms—were also struck. The IDF stated that it had delivered advanced warnings to the population before each strike and used precise munitions to minimize civilian casualties.
The campaign against high-rises did not begin in a vacuum. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had warned Hamas on September 3 that the group faced a stark choice: accept Israel’s terms for ending the war, including the release of all hostages and disarmament, or see Gaza suffer the same fate as Rafah and Beit Hanoun, two areas previously devastated by fighting. On September 5, Katz declared, "the bolt is now removed from the gates of hell," signaling the start of the offensive. "A powerful hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City today, and the roofs of the towers of terror will shake," he warned in a subsequent statement.
The destruction has been staggering. The IDF estimated that 100,000 people had already evacuated Gaza City by September 8, but the United Nations put the number of those still in the area at up to one million. The overall population of Gaza is about two million. As the offensive ramped up, the IDF claimed to control 75 percent of Gaza territory and 40 percent of Gaza City itself when the strikes on high-rises began, The Long War Journal reported.
International reaction to Israel’s actions has been swift and critical. The United Nations has warned that intensifying the offensive in an area where famine has already been declared will push civilians into "an even deeper catastrophe." BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams noted that many Palestinians fear these may be the last days of the Gaza Strip as they know it, as families are forced to abandon homes, businesses, and entire neighborhoods under the threat of violence and deprivation.
Meanwhile, the conflict’s reach extended well beyond Gaza’s borders. On the same day as the evacuation order, the Israeli army announced it had carried out an assassination attempt on top Hamas leaders in Doha, the capital of Qatar. According to Al Jazeera, multiple explosions were heard in Doha as the attack unfolded during negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States. A Hamas source told Al Jazeera that the targeted leaders were part of a negotiating team discussing the terms of a possible truce.
Back in Gaza City, the strikes have not only targeted Hamas infrastructure but have also destroyed buildings that housed clinics, human rights organizations, and law firms. The IDF asserted that these locations were used by Hamas to plan and execute attacks, including the use of tunnels running beneath high-rise towers. The Times of Israel reported that the military warned area residents ahead of each strike, but the destruction of civilian infrastructure has drawn condemnation from humanitarian groups and international observers alike.
Despite the IDF’s assurances that the humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi provides vital infrastructure and supplies, reports from the ground suggest conditions are dire. Space is limited, and the influx of evacuees has strained resources. Many families, especially the most vulnerable, face the impossible choice between staying in a war zone or fleeing into overcrowded camps with uncertain prospects.
As the Israeli military presses forward with its campaign and the world watches anxiously, the fate of Gaza City and its residents hangs in the balance. The evacuation order, the destruction of high-rise buildings, and the attempted assassination of Hamas leaders in Qatar all point to a conflict that shows no sign of abating. For the people of Gaza, the road south is fraught with danger, uncertainty, and the painful knowledge that home may never be the same again.
The events of September 9, 2025, have left Gaza City transformed—its skyline shattered, its people on the move, and its future more uncertain than ever.