Palestinians were seen fleeing Gaza City on Thursday (October 2), with many carrying their belongings on foot, following an Israeli statement that this was the last chance for residents still inside to escape.

People carrying belongings through tented camps on the beach in Gaza City said they had no money for transportation south, but were fleeing after the Israeli instruction to leave.

Israel has told the entire million-strong population of Gaza City to head south as it mounts one of the biggest offensives of the war this month, vowing to root out Hamas fighters in what it says are their last bastions in Gaza's biggest urban area.

The military said in a statement on Wednesday it had begun an operation to strengthen and maintain "operational control of the Netzarim Corridor," an area it controls dividing northern and southern Gaza. It did not respond to a request for further comment on Thursday.

The United Nations estimates that 600,000-700,000 people are still inside Gaza City, after up to 400,000 fled in the past few weeks as Israeli forces have advanced, destroying buildings in their path.

Israel began its Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's two-year-long campaign has killed over 66,000 people in Gaza, according to Gaza health authorities.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

GAZA CITY, GAZA (OCTOBER 2, 2025) (VIDEO OBTAINED BY REUTERS – Access all)

1. TENTS BY SEA/SMOKE RISING

2. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING NEXT TO TENTS ON BEACH

3. WOMAN AND CHILD CARRYING BELONGINGS

4. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING AND OTHERS ON CARTS WITH THEIR BELONGINGS

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN HANEEN SHAKHSA, SAYING:

“The situation in Gaza (City) has become extremely dangerous. We were in Al-Daraj schools, and all four schools were threatened. Today, the quadcopters were over the schoolyard, warning the schools, that we are in a dangerous combat zone. Goods have become almost unavailable, flour has become expensive, and things have become expensive. We were there and we had nothing; we were there, and our situation was hard. There is no transportation, and we don’t have… we need money. We need a tent, we need so many things, but it is not available.”

6. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AND CHILDREN WALKING WITH THEIR BELONGINGS

7. VARIOUS OF MAN PULLING CART AND WOMAN AND CHILD HELPING HIM / OTHER PEOPLE WALKING WITH THEIR BELONGINGS

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN UMM KHALIL AL-MAASAWABI, SAYING:

“We came on foot; we couldn’t find any ride, and we don’t have money for transportation anyway, so here we are, walking. And even there, we won’t find a place. We don’t know where we are going. We will probably end up throwing ourselves by the shore or anywhere.”

9. VARIOUS OF MAN TYING BELONGINGS ON CART

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN UMM KHALIL AL-MAASAWABI, SAYING:

“We are afraid. I am afraid for my son because he is (my only son) and I am afraid they might take the boy. There is no place. We are going, fleeing from death because there was shelling. There was shelling, so we all ran; our whole building left, and we left too.”

11. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING / MAN PUSHING CART WITH CHILD SITTING ON IT

12. CARS CARRYING BELONGINGS

13. MAN PUSHING CART

14. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ALONG COASTAL ROAD WITH THEIR BELONGINGS