Mass evacuation from Gaza City as Israeli army warns and humanitarian aid lags
Large groups of people are fleeing Gaza City after warnings from the Israeli army and a lack of humanitarian aid. Satellite imagery captured Friday by Maxar Technologies shows large crowds gathered on the outskirts of the battered town.
The group was spotted at 11:31 a.m. local time, along Salah al Deen Road, an evacuation route that flows from north to south throughout the Gaza Strip. The group appears to be heading south toward Al Musaddar.
The mass evacuation could be due to leaflets that were dropped over Gaza City by the Israeli army on Thursday, alerting people to evacuate the area. Similar leaflets were dropped across northern Gaza in the weeks prior to the start of Israel’s ground attack.
Gaza remains in a near-total communications blackout as a fuel shortage hinders humanitarian efforts and impairs critical infrastructure. U.N. agencies released statements Thursday and Friday saying Gaza’s 2.3 million people are at risk of starvation and face an increased threat of disease as water desalination plants and sewage facilities cease operations.
According to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, around 70% of the population in Gaza is drinking salinized and contaminated water. Additionally, the World Health Program reported only 10% of necessary food supplies have entered Gaza since the start of the war on Oct. 7.
With the ongoing crisis, more than 2 million people in Gaza are at risk of starvation, prompting a mass evacuation from the city. The situation continues to worsen as humanitarian aid struggles to reach those in need.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY