Twenty-four hours is the deadline that Israel has given Gaza to evacuate half of its population “for its own safety.” The Army has issued a statement in which it gives an ultimatum for “all civilians in the city” to march from their homes to the south, specifically to Wadi Gaza, about five kilometers away. This is a prior warning of what is interpreted as the beginning of the ground operation to end Hamas.
The military commanders do not hide that in the capital of the Strip “military operations are going to be carried out”, so the displacement of the residents is necessary for their own integrity. This trip is also conditional: they must not approach the separation fence with Israel and they will not be able to return until “another announcement allows it.” The Army spokesman considered this announcement as “a humanitarian step to reduce civilian casualties” and accused Hamas of fighting in urban areas.
And what does Gaza have to be Israel’s great objective right now? “Hamas terrorists are hiding in the city, inside tunnels under houses and inside buildings inhabited by innocent civilians,” the statement explains. So it seems that, whether they enter by land or not, the Hebrew military will devastate the city if necessary from the air, and Netanyahu and his circle want to avoid further ‘collateral’ damage to innocent civilians.
Residential neighborhoods razed
The operation has a certain cosmetic halo, especially after the criticism that has rained down on the prime minister and his cabinet for the blockade of the Strip in recent hours. Today marks the third day of the siege and the situation is critical for the population: there is no electricity, food and water is being rationed, there is no telephone coverage and the hospitals use diesel generators to operate, but they warn that they there is little fuel left. Without it, more than health centers they would be directly morgues.
Several humanitarian organizations have asked to open a humanitarian corridor to bring in gasoline, food and medicine, among other basic things, but Israel has flatly refused. This Thursday, the response from Energy Minister Israel Katz was forceful: «Humanitarian aid to Gaza? “There will be no electricity, drinking water or fuel until the kidnapped people can return home.” And he made something else clear: “Let no one give us moral lessons.” The situation is so critical that even the UN has reminded the Hebrew state that international law prohibits collective punishment and that the blockade could be considered a “war crime.”
The evacuation from Gaza would come after the latest bombings hit residential neighborhoods that until now were safe. “The bombs have reached areas that had never been touched before and that had historically served as protection for the population,” said Patricia Garrido, Spanish Red Cross delegate in Ramallah. At least 1,537 Palestinians, including more than 400 children, have died in the attacks, according to Gaza authorities. And there are 6,612 injured, according to ‘The Times of Israel’.
“Forget about food”
The first move after the statement from Netanyahu’s Army was made by the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has announced that it is going to relocate its offices to the south of Gaza. “We do this to continue our humanitarian operations and support for staff and refugees,” they explained. The international organization also made a “firm call” for this order “to be rescinded to prevent what is already a tragedy from becoming a disastrous situation.” And he has asked the Israeli authorities to increase the protection of all civilians in shelters “including schools.” There are more than 200,000 people sheltered in 92 of these facilities, the organization says.
This Thursday, the number of displaced people rose to 423,000, but if Gaza is emptied, no less than a million more people would have to be added, who are the inhabitants of the city. This would be half of the population of the Strip. The UN considers that this move is almost “impossible” to carry out “without devastating humanitarian consequences.”
For its part, Hamas has warned the population that the Israeli alert is “false propaganda aimed at confusing citizens and breaking internal Palestinian cohesion.” The Israeli Army’s plans would be to divide the Strip in two and then surround the most important cities and start a hand-to-hand fight.
The terrorist organization has named this day ‘Friday of Rage’. Khaled Meshal, political leader of the Syrian branch of Hamas, exiled in Damascus and one of the founders of the terrorist group, has called on Muslims around the world to apply Islamic jihad (holy war) this Friday at a global level, a dangerous threat to all Jewish communities on the planet.
Many citizens are already packing their bags to leave the area as soon as possible. The situation is chaotic and they don’t even know where they are going to sleep tonight. It doesn’t seem like it’s the most urgent thing either. “The only concern now is whether you are going to make it, whether you are going to live,” said Nebal Farshkh, spokesman for the Red Crescent in the city. “Forget about food, forget about electricity, forget about fuel,” he continued in statements to local media.
“This is chaos, no one knows what to do,” explained Inas Hamdan, an official at the UN refugee agency. And in hospitals, the situation is no better: many doctors refuse to leave and abandon patients, what they are doing is calling their loved ones to say goodbye, says Farsakh.
750 goals achieved tonight
Meanwhile, the territory continued to be under bombs last night. According to the Israeli Army, 750 “military targets” have been attacked, focusing on “underground tunnels, military compounds and the homes of senior Hamas officials that served as headquarters.” They have also indicated that they have destroyed “weapons depots and communications rooms”, in addition to “eliminating” alleged members of the Palestinian militias.
IDF says it carried out airstrikes against 750 targets belonging to Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip overnight pic.twitter.com/WOiUCmgOsL
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 13, 2023
“During the waves (of bombings), dozens of IDF warplanes have attacked Hamas military targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including twelve high-rise buildings inside which a military structure was erected,” he said. indicated Avichay Adraee, Army spokesperson. Furthermore, he has specified that they have killed three militiamen, who would have been responsible for launching mortar bombs into Israeli territory: “They were thwarted in a military barracks in the Gaza Strip,” he added.
Israeli authorities maintain that the attacks “have paralyzed vital assets for the enemy and have therefore substantially harmed them. “We will continue to protect the people of Israel and strike with power and precision.”
6,000 bombs and 360,000 reservists
The head of the Israeli Army, General Herzi Halevi, has announced that “Gaza will never again look like what it was.” The Israelis have dropped more than 6,000 bombs on the Strip in the revenge promised by Benjamin Netanyahu against Hamas and are preparing “for a ground incursion as soon as the maneuver has the green light,” in the words of military spokesman Richard Hecht.
The Israelis have reinforced their positions around the territory and have built new bases in neighboring towns. 360,000 reservists have already been mobilized and are waiting for the green light to assault the Strip and begin a phase in this war whose ultimate objective is “to attack and dismantle Hamas, to dismantle its system,” revealed the head of the Army, Herzi Halevi, who announced that “Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas official who ordered the operation, and the rest of the Hamas leadership are dead men.”
What about the hostages? 13 have died in bombings
Israel will not loosen the Gaza block if there is no release of hostages. In the hands of Hamas there are an estimated 150 people, mainly Israeli nationals. However, while warning of this, they also assure that it is not time to negotiate, that is, that the terrorist organization should release the hostages without asking for anything in return.
And it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Osama Abu Khaled, a member of Hamas, has stressed that “it is too early to talk” about this decision “without first stopping the aggression.” Of course, he assured that the entity to which he belongs is “making contacts with all interested parties to stop” the attacks.
This Friday morning, Hamas has assured that at least 13 hostages, including Israelis and foreigners, held in the north have died due to the attacks in the last few hours. “Thirteen prisoners (…) including foreigners” died in five towns bombed by Israeli planes, the Ezzedin al Qassam Brigades said in a statement.
#Israel #hours #evacuate #million #people #northern #Gaza