Israel Pounds Gaza City as Fears Mount for Those Inside

The Israeli military said it would open another evacuation route on Wednesday for people fleeing Gaza City as international alarm grew for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still sheltering there under heavy bombardment and Israel’s widening ground assault.

Before the expanded offensive was announced on Tuesday, the military ordered people in Gaza City to go to what it described as a humanitarian zone in the south, where it said aid would be provided. While the Israeli military said that about 350,000 people had fled Gaza City as of Tuesday evening, cramming onto the enclave’s coastal road, roughly half a million were believed to still be there.

On Wednesday, the military announced the opening of another “temporary route” heading south along Salah al-Din Road. In an Arabic-language statement posted on social media, it said the route would be open for 48 hours, starting at noon local time on Wednesday.

The start of the long-planned ground offensive in Gaza City drew fierce condemnation from allies and aid agencies, who said it would worsen an already-dire humanitarian situation and derail any diplomatic resolution to the nearly two-year war.

Israel’s government has said seizing Gaza City is necessary to prevent Hamas from regrouping and planning future attacks, such as the assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that ignited the war.

Many people still in Gaza City have said they are unable or unwilling to leave, citing the cost of transportation and lack of space in the south. Heavy airstrikes continued to pound Gaza overnight, with Israel’s military saying that more than 150 strikes had been launched over the past 48 hours.