Israel flattens refugee camp homes in famine-hit Gaza City

Israel has launched heavy bombardments on a densely populated refugee camp in Gaza City, flattening several homes and destroying a school that was sheltering internally displaced people.

The al-Shati refugee camp, which spans just over half a square kilometre, has in recent days become a refuge for tens of thousands of Palestinians fleeing Israel’s escalating assault on other parts of the city.

On Thursday, Israeli forces launched a series of intense air strikes on the camp, levelling at least 12 residential buildings and leaving scores more families without shelter.

Footage circulating online shows widespread destruction across the area, including the ruins of homes belonging to several Palestinian families, as civilians flee the ongoing shelling.

The escalating attacks on Gaza City in the past month follow Israel’s approval of a plan to seize control of the city ahead of a broader occupation of the Gaza Strip.

Since then, the city has witnessed some of the deadliest bombardments since the start of Israel’s genocide two years ago.

Health authorities in Gaza reported that at least 50 Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes on Friday as of 3pm local time, including 37 in Gaza City alone.

#شاهد | اللحظات الأولى لاستهداف طائرات الاحتلال منزلاً لعائلة جاد الله في مخيم الشاطئ الشمالي غربي مدينة غزة pic.twitter.com/ncijl9NXEe

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) September 12, 2025

Translation: The first moment of the occupation's planes targeting the home of the Jad Allah family in the Beach Camp northwest of Gaza City

On Thursday, the Palestinian Civil Defence warned that the Israeli military was attempting to “destabilise residential neighbourhoods in Gaza City”, particularly those that are densely populated.

“It is deliberately bombing homes and residential areas within these neighbourhoods with the aim of forcing residents to flee towards the centre and south of the Gaza Strip, disregarding the tragic humanitarian conditions they are experiencing,” the press release stated.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) on Thursday warned that one million people estimated to be in Gaza City are "facing daily bombardment and struggling to access the means for survival" after Israel issued sweeping mass expulsion orders from the entire city earlier this week. 

"As the Israeli offensive on famine-stricken Gaza city intensifies, people are once again being displaced, with no safe place to turn," Ocha said.   

Worsening famine

The renewed and escalating Israeli air strikes on Gaza City appear aimed at emptying the city of its population.

However, the number of people who have left remains low, despite various Israeli tactics intended to force civilians out, including the use of explosive-laden robots, harassing quadcopters, the demolition of high-rise residential towers, and the repeated issuance of mass expulsion orders.

According to Ocha, more than 25,000 displacements were recorded between Sunday and Wednesday. A total of 73,000 people have moved to southern Gaza since 14 August. 

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Famine was officially declared in Gaza City last month, worsening the impact of the latest Israeli offensive and expulsion orders on civilians.

The UN Children's Fund (Unicef) warned on Thursday that child malnutrition across the Gaza Strip "continues to worsen at an alarming rate".

The latest figures show that 13.5 percent of children screened in August alone were identified as acutely malnourished, a significant rise of over five percent from July. 

Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that almost half of all functional hospitals are located in Gaza City, warning that the besieged enclave "cannot afford to lose any of these remaining facilities".

According to Ocha, 12 out of 49 outpatient therapeutic sites for nutrition have halted services in Gaza City amid the esclating Israeli violance.  

At least two community kitchens in the area have also ended operations, while three others have relocated within the city.