Despite mounting threats from Israel to seize Gaza City and forcibly relocate nearly a million people to what critics call “concentration zones” in the south, many Palestinians are refusing to abandon their homes.

The United Nations, several European governments, and China have joined a growing chorus of voices condemning Israel’s planned military occupation of the city, warning it would worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Tragedy continues to unfold in Gaza, where the Health Ministry reports four more starvation-related deaths in the past 24 hours, raising the total to 201 people lost to hunger since the war began.

The overall toll remains staggering:

At least 61,330 Palestinians have been killed and 152,359 wounded since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.

The conflict traces back to the October 7, 2023, attacks, when 1,139 people were killed in Israel and over 200 taken captive.

For many in Gaza City, the choice is harrowing face the dangers of staying in a war zone or endure displacement to overcrowded, under-resourced southern areas. With aid blocked, food scarce, and bombings ongoing, residents say leaving feels like walking into another kind of death.

As international condemnation builds, the question remains whether global pressure will be enough to halt Israel’s plans, or will Gaza’s defiant residents face yet another devastating chapter in this long and brutal conflict?