IDF opens temporary corridor to accelerate Gaza City evacuation

The IDF called on residents to use only the designated route and to follow instructions given by security personnel.

The IDF opened a temporary traffic corridor through Salah al-Din Street on Wednesday to accelerate the evacuation of civilians from Gaza City to areas south of Wadi Gaza, the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, said.

The corridor was set to begin operating at 12 p.m. local time on September 17 and will remain open until 12 p.m. on September 19. It is intended to ease the movement of civilians toward the southern part of the Gaza Strip, Col. Avichay Adraee announced.

In the statement, the IDF referenced Gaza City’s western sector, locally known as the Tancher axis or coastal road, indicating that the military was increasing operations near the shoreline and intensifying its encirclement of the city.

The IDF called on residents to use only the designated route and to follow instructions given by security personnel. The army also emphasized that traffic signs have been placed along the route to assist civilians.

As of Tuesday, approximately 350,000 residents had already left Gaza City, according to the army, out of an estimated one million people who reside there.

Heavy congestion reported on evacuation routes

Residents reported that the Tancher axis, which continues the path of Israel’s Highway 4 through the Gaza Strip from Erez to Rafah, was heavily congested. Evacuees said travel times from the city to Al-Mawasi, the designated humanitarian zone, were taking several hours.

According to Adraee, civilians are permitted to travel through Salah al-Din Street and continue south of Wadi Gaza. The army underscored that this corridor is temporary and will only apply during the stated 48-hour period.

Background to the corridor announcement

The decision to open the passage comes days after the IDF began a major ground offensive in Gaza City and renewed calls for civilians to evacuate. The military has been using leaflets, text messages, and recorded calls in Arabic to communicate evacuation instructions.

The Al-Mawasi area has served as a designated humanitarian zone since 2024. Salah al-Din Street and Rashid Road are the two main north–south arteries in Gaza and intersect with the former Netzarim corridor, a route the IDF has used at times to divide the Strip.

“Use only the streets marked on the map as the route south, obey the instructions of the security forces and the traffic signs,” the IDF said in Arabic.