250,000 left Gaza City since stepping up operations
The Israeli military yesterday said that more than 250,000 people had fled Gaza City since it began intensifying operations there, as Palestinian officials reported many had been unable to evacuate south due to overcrowding.
The United Nations estimated in late August that about one million Palestinians lived in and around Gaza's largest urban centre.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The world body and members of the international community have urged the military to abandon its plans to capture the city, warning the assault and ensuing displacement could worsen the already dire humanitarian situation.
On Saturday, an Israeli army spokesman said on X that "more than a quarter of a million residents of Gaza City have moved out of the city for their own safety".
Gaza's civil defence agency, however, reported a much lower figure, saying fewer than 70,000 had managed to leave.
The Israeli military dropped leaflets yesterday urging residents in western districts to evacuate, as the civil defence reported continuous air strikes
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