The Israeli army has called on the population of the northern Gaza Strip to vacate the area within 24 hours. According to the UN, 1.1 million people are affected. “Devastating humanitarian consequences” threatened.
Israel’s military has asked Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate. “The military calls on all civilians of Gaza to leave their homes to the south for their own safety and protection,” the army said.
“The terrorist organization Hamas is waging a war against the State of Israel, and Gaza is an area where military operations are taking place,” the military said in justifying the call. “They will not be able to return to Gaza until a further announcement is made allowing this,” it said. Nobody should approach the area of the security fence to the State of Israel.
The military said Hamas terrorists were hiding in Gaza in tunnels under houses and in buildings occupied by innocent Gaza civilians.
UN warns of humanitarian consequences
The United Nations had previously reported such an announcement. The order is “impossible” to implement without having “devastating humanitarian consequences,” warned UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. According to him, around 1.1 million people would be affected by an evacuation.
The United Nations strongly appealed for such an order to be withdrawn to prevent the already tragic situation from becoming catastrophic. The Israeli military’s order also applies to all UN employees and those housed in UN facilities such as schools, health centers and clinics.
Health system before collapse
Observers assume that a ground offensive by Israel in the Gaza Strip against the militant Islamist Hamas could be imminent. On Thursday, the military said it was preparing for such an operation. But no decision has been made yet. In advance, the army continued its massive bombardment of the densely populated area.
The civilian population in the sealed-off coastal strip is in an increasingly hopeless situation on the seventh day after the major Hamas attack. The health system is “on the verge of collapse,” warned the World Health Organization (WHO). “Without electricity, hospitals run the risk of becoming morgues,” wrote Fabrizio Carboni, Middle East regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), on Platform X.
Death numbers continue to rise
In its counterattacks against Hamas, Israel’s army again shelled residential buildings in the Gaza Strip that the military said were used by the terrorist organization. The army announced on Thursday evening that the five residential buildings affected were also used by Hamas for terrorist activities. Every position of the “murderers” is being attacked, said military spokesman Daniel Hagari. Hamas has already lost control of large areas in the Gaza Strip.
More than 1,200 people in Israel were killed and at least 3,391 others injured in the Hamas terror attack. According to official information, around 150 people were also abducted to the Gaza Strip. The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes rose to at least 1,537. At least 6,612 other people were injured, the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Thursday evening.
According to the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, Israel’s military also used white phosphorus in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. This was shown by verified videos and witness statements. The human rights organization complained that the operation in the densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip violated international humanitarian law.
Baerbock travels to Israel
A number of top politicians from abroad are expected in Israel today, including Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The US Department of Defense announced that Austin would meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Joav Galant and other members of the emergency government.
Austin wanted to make clear the US’s “unwavering commitment” to Israel’s security, it said. He wanted to talk to the Israeli leadership about their operational planning and goals in the conflict. It is also about discussing the need for military aid. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani are also traveling to Israel on a solidarity visit.