Israel-Hamas war – More than one million residents of Gaza City Friday were warned by the Israeli military to evacuate and move to the south in the next 24 hours, as it deployed its tanks near the Gaza Strip amid fears of a major ground offensive.
As the Israeli warplanes continued attacking Gaza, its Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said: “Now is a time for war.”
The military has given a strong warning about being in Gaza City in the next few days. They’re saying that people can only go back when they make an official announcement.
Before that, the United Nations told the news agency Reuters about the warning from the Israeli military. Palestinians are worried that this could lead to Israel’s planned ground attack.
The Israeli military didn’t say anything about the warning, but they did bring tanks close to the Gaza border and bombed the Palestinian area with air strikes because of the fighting between Hamas and Israel, which has been going on for a long time.
“The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” Stephane Dujarric, a UN spokesperson, said in a statement.
She added that the UN strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a disastrous situation.
Dujarric said the order by the Israeli military also applied to all UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities, including schools, health centres and clinics.
World War II flashbacks
In another development, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip to Nazi Germany’s siege of Leningrad during World War II and called for a resolution to the conflict to be reached through mediation.
But appearing to confirm a warning took place, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said: “The UN’s response to Israel’s early warning to the residents of Gaza is shameful.”
Erdan said the UN should focus on condemning Hamas and supporting Israel’s right to self-defence.
Salama Marouf, head of the Hamas government media office, said the relocation warning was an attempt by Israel “to broadcast and pass on fake propaganda, aiming to sow confusion among citizens and harm our internal cohesion.”
He added: “We urge our citizens not to engage in these attempts”.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said fuel powering emergency generators at hospitals in Gaza could run out within hours and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned food and fresh water were running dangerously low.
“The human misery caused by this escalation is abhorrent, and I implore the sides to reduce the suffering of civilians,” ICRC regional director Fabrizio Carboni said.
Following Israel’s 24-hour warning, Gaza’s Health Ministry told the World Health Organization (WHO) that they can’t safely move vulnerable hospital patients from northern Gaza. According to the UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA), more than 400,000 people in Gaza have left their homes, and tragically, 23 aid workers have lost their lives.
Up to this point, Israel’s airstrikes have led to the loss of over 1,500 Palestinian lives, including many children, as reported by Gaza authorities. Tragically, four medics have also been killed, and the Palestinian Red Crescent claims they were targeted intentionally.
Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza, a place with 2.3 million residents, and launched airstrikes that have caused extensive damage to entire neighborhoods.
There are expected to be pro-Palestinian protests worldwide, and the United States and regional leaders are planning meetings due to concerns that the conflict may escalate further.
