Over 350,000 people have fled Gaza City as of Tuesday evening, according to a security official, with thousands more leaving overnight following a significant wave of Israeli Air Force activity. The official estimates the rate of population departure from the city will increase as military maneuvers progress. This mass exodus occurred during a reporting window from 4:46 AM to 6:16 AM UTC on September 16th, 2025. During this period, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz briefly tweeted and then deleted a message stating, "Gaza is burning. The IDF is striking with an iron fist at the terror infrastructures, and IDF soldiers are fighting heroically to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and the vanquishment of Hamas. We will not relent and we will not back down - until the mission is completed." The tweet was later re-posted. Previous reports indicated that Israeli forces launched a ground attack involving tanks entering Gaza City earlier on September 16th, following widespread attacks including air strikes and artillery fire across neighborhoods such as Sabra, Darja, Dergwan, Shati refugee camp, and Tel Alvah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly utilized "trapped robots," described as explosives-filled devices designed to collapse structural complexes, as part of their operations. Earlier in the reporting period, activist Hamza Al-Masri had reported bombing operations targeting a "robot of 2" northwest of Gaza City around 2:31 AM UTC, followed by an air strike near the intelligence zone.
