What happened as Israel pushed Palestinians from Gaza City neighbourhoods

Two women send desperate messages from Gaza City, detailing the panicked rush for safety as Israel attacked.

Deir el-Balah, Gaza – Rima Khamis, a 34-year-old mother of three, had just gotten to her parents’ house for a visit on Sunday evening.

She lived in the north of Gaza City and had come to the Daraj neighbourhood in the centre to see her sick mother.

Then Israeli orders to leave Daraj, Tuffah and the Old City came like a thunderclap, sowing panic everywhere.

“I started trying to call my husband to tell him what happened, to no avail,” Rima told Al Jazeera over phone messages.

Not knowing what was going to happen, she grabbed her children and a few belongings she could find and “just started running towards the north of the city”.