Civilians Flee Northern Gaza After Israel Warning
By Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos
GAZA/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Palestinians are massively fleeing northern Gaza by car, on the back of trucks, and on foot after an Israeli warning that civilians should move south within 24 hours.
As many as 1.1 million people are impacted as all residents of Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip have been asked to leave their homes ahead of an imminent Israeli ground offensive into the Palestinian enclave.
The United Nations urged Israel to withdraw the order, arguing it’s “impossible” for Palestinians to comply fully and warning of “devastating humanitarian consequences.”
Earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly dropped leaflets in the northern city of Beit Lahiya in the Gaza Strip, Thursday warning residents to evacuate as Hamas is using the town for its operations. “The operations of the Hamas terrorist organization are prompting the IDF to act against it in your areas of residence,” reads the leaflet seen by Worthy News.
“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and go to known shelters. The IDF is not interested in harming you or your family members,” it added. “Anyone who is near Hamas operatives or their facilities will put their lives in danger. A house used by terrorist organizations will be targeted. Adhering to IDF instructions will prevent you from being exposed to danger.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush Hamas terrorists” after gunmen stormed over the border, killing men, women, and children, including toddlers and infants. Hamas, the Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, has pledged to annihilate Israel.
HAMAS ATTACKS
The Palestinian militant group, designated as a “terrorist organization” by Israel and most Western countries, was responsible for many suicide bombings and other deadly attacks on civilians and Israeli soldiers in recent years.
So far, more than 1,300 people have died in Israel following Saturday’s incursion by Hamas, which is also holding some 150 hostages, including men, women and children. Hamas leaders say hundreds of the group’s “40,000 fighters” took part in the assault. Israel says Hamas has about 30,000 fighters and an arsenal of rockets, including some with a range of about 250 kilometers (155 miles), and unmanned drones.
Israel also warned that the siege of Gaza would not end until Israeli hostages were released by Hamas. “No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened, and no fuel truck will enter,” said Energy Minister Israel Katz. On Wednesday, the only power station in Gaza ran out of fuel, meaning the territory relies on generators for hospitals and morgues.
More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israeli retaliatory strikes in Gaza, local authorities claim, with many more being injured.
Israel says Hamas deliberately places its weapons at civilian sites such as schools, hospitals, and residential buildings and uses civilians as human shields, increasing the death toll. Hamas denies wrongdoing calling its actions “resistance”.
Egypt, fearing a massive influx of Palestinians, has so far refused to open its border to most people, except for well-planned border crossings, Worthy News monitored.
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