Sat Sep 13 21:59:01 UTC 2025: ## Gaza City Under Relentless Israeli Bombardment, Residents Return From “Safe Zones” Amid Dire Conditions
**Gaza City** – Despite Israeli military warnings to evacuate, approximately 900,000 people remain in Gaza City, facing intensified attacks and increasingly dire living conditions. Reports indicate a reverse displacement as residents who fled south to the al-Mawasi area are returning due to overcrowding, lack of resources, and continued strikes in the so-called “safe zone.”
Israeli forces have ramped up attacks on Gaza City, systematically targeting residential buildings, public facilities, and even UN-run schools sheltering displaced families. Witnesses report relentless bombardment, with fighter jets dropping bombs every 10 to 15 minutes, often with little warning, hindering safe evacuation. At least 49 people were killed in Gaza City on Saturday alone, bringing the total Palestinian death toll across the Strip to 62.
“Residents of Gaza City are now living in extremely difficult conditions under continuous siege and bombardment,” said Mahmoud Basal, a spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Defence. Over 6,000 Palestinians were displaced in Gaza City by the relentless bombardment.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported that the pace and pattern of the attacks suggest a deliberate effort to put extreme pressure on densely populated areas. However, many residents are either staying put or returning from the south, finding conditions in al-Mawasi even more unbearable.
Al-Mawasi, already strained with displaced families from other areas, is now at a breaking point. New arrivals struggle to find space for tents and basic services are severely lacking. Some returning to Gaza City are reporting bombings occurred even in this so called safe area.
One displaced Palestinian, Faraj Ashour, who lost his legs in an earlier attack, said he returned after experiencing how impossible it was to find food and a safe place in Al-Mawasi. “There was no safety. It’s all lies. At first, I believed them, but I realised it was better to return to Gaza City. If they’re going to kill me, may as well be in Gaza City, rather than risk everything in al-Mawasi,” he said.
While the Israeli army claims over 250,000 people have fled Gaza City, UNRWA reports that 86% of Gaza is either a militarized zone or subject to displacement threats. The bulk of Saturday’s attacks targeted Gaza City, including three UN schools in the Shati refugee camp.
Outside Gaza City, the situation remains grim. At least seven Palestinians were killed while seeking aid in al-Wadi, and others were killed in strikes on refugee camps and tents sheltering displaced people across the Strip. Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that seven people, including children, died from malnutrition-related causes in the last 24 hours, raising the total starvation-related death toll to 420 since the start of the war.
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