Ahead of the expected ground offensive, the Israeli army is calling on more than a million Gazans to leave the south of the territory. The UN considers this to be impracticable.
The Israeli military has ordered more than a million Palestinians in the northern coastal strip to evacuate ahead of an expected ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. “The military is calling on all Gaza City civilians to leave their homes south for their own safety and protection,” army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said on Friday. Accordingly, people should go to an area south of the Wadi Gaza, which is approximately in the middle of the area, which is only 40 kilometers long.
The United Nations immediately called on Israel to revoke the order. A UN spokesman said there was a threat of a “catastrophic situation”. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Israel to show her solidarity with the country attacked by the Islamist Hamas.
Baerbock condemns Hamas atrocities
Before her early morning departure from Berlin, Baerbock once again strongly condemned the bloody Hamas attack, in which at least 1,300 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed and around 3,000 were injured. “Hamas has committed terrible atrocities in recent days,” she said. The terrorist attacks are a brutal turning point. A new era has begun for the people of Israel. “It’s important to look and call this terror by its name.” The EU, the USA and Israel classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. The day before, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office shared photos of murdered Israeli children, including burned corpses, on the platform formerly known as Twitter. However, you are behind an age-restricted barrier.
United Nations opposes mass evacuation
The call for the mass evacuation of around half of the Gaza Strip’s population to the south met with strong opposition from the UN. The UN was informed that night by its liaison officers in the Israeli military that the entire population north of Wadi Gaza should move south within 24 hours, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric in New York. “The United Nations urges that any such order, if confirmed, be repealed to avoid turning an already tragic situation into a catastrophic one,” the spokesman said
Deadline of 24 hours not initially confirmed by Israel
The UN statement that Israel had set a deadline of 24 hours for the evacuation was not confirmed by the army. Their message did not contain any time information. Army spokesman Conricus only said: “We realize that this will take time; this is not an easy action.” The call is seen as an indication of an impending ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel was clear that an evacuation would take more than 24 hours. But he did not give a clear time frame.
WHO: For seriously ill people, evacuation is tantamount to a death sentence
A spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out in Geneva that the transfer of seriously ill and seriously injured patients from the northern Gaza Strip was impossible. “Transporting such people is tantamount to a death sentence,” said spokesman Tarik Jasarevic. According to the Ministry of Health, at least 1,537 people have died and 6,612 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip in Israeli counterstrikes after the bloodiest attack on the country since its founding in 1948. Hospitals that are running out of power are overcrowded, according to health authorities. Medicines, drinking water and food are becoming scarce due to Israel’s lockdown.
Evacuation in such a short time is unrealistic
A mass evacuation within 24 hours would also not be realistic because 50,000 people per hour would have to make their way towards Wadi Gaza along narrow streets. Eyewitnesses in the Gaza Strip also reported that residents had already been stopped by Hamas and asked to return to the north. In general there is great panic in the area and there are no clear instructions. It is about ten kilometers as the crow flies from the center of Gaza City to Wadi Gaza.
Israel suspects Hamas is in tunnels under residential buildings
The Israeli military said Hamas terrorists were hiding in Gaza in tunnels under houses and in buildings occupied by civilians. Army spokesman Conricus said of the evacuation: “We realize that this will take time; this is not an easy operation.”
Hamas describes the call as propaganda
Hamas in the Gaza Strip described the call for evacuation as propaganda. Civilians should not fall for the “propaganda news.” Security sources in the Gaza Strip said that residents should be prevented from leaving the north. Israel, the USA and the EU have classified Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Hamas: 13 hostages killed in Israeli airstrikes
According to Hamas’s military wing in the Gaza Strip, 13 of the approximately 150 hostages abducted from Israel were killed in Israeli air strikes. These include foreign nationals, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed in a statement on Friday. This information could not be independently verified. The Israeli army wanted to examine the report.
Israeli army continues airstrikes
The Israeli Air Force continued its air strikes during the night. Dozens of fighter jets had attacked 750 military targets, the Israeli military said early in the morning. Targets attacked included underground tunnels, military facilities, residences of high-ranking terrorists used as military command centers and weapons depots.
US Secretary of State wants to meet Palestinian President Abbas
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. After his stay in Israel, Blinken announced in Tel Aviv on Thursday that he would travel on to Jordan to meet Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. He then plans to visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to speak with government officials, it said.
Germans returned from Israel on special Lufthansa flights
Meanwhile, hundreds of Germans have returned home from Israel on special Lufthansa flights. The first special plane from Tel Aviv landed at Frankfurt Airport on Thursday evening with 370 passengers. Another plane followed later. Two planes also landed in Munich. Four more special flights were planned for this Friday. The Bundeswehr is preparing to be able to bring German citizens back from Israel if necessary.