English
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Polski
Português
Русский
Español
ไทย
Türkçe
简体中文
हिन्दी
日本語
Topline
The Israeli military on Friday ordered around one million civilians in northern Gaza—including Gaza City—to evacuate to the southern half of the Palestinian enclave within 24 hours, prompting the United Nations to warn that the humanitarian crisis in the territory could worsen.
Key Facts
The evacuation order affects nearly 1.1 million people in northern Gaza and UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters it is “impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.”
Dujarric urged the order to be rescinded to avoid turning a tragedy into a “calamitous situation.”
The Israeli order has reportedly triggered panic among Gaza’s civilians and foreign aid workers in the enclave and has led to the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) moving its operations.
The Israel Defense Forces said its order to evacuate civilians from Gaza City is the result of Hamas using underground tunnels in civilian areas—which it intends to target in the coming days.
In response, Hamas officials told Gaza’s citizens to stay put and called the evacuation warning “fake propaganda.”
Big Number
423,378. That is how many people have been internally displaced in Gaza, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday. This number is up more than 25% on the previous day as Israel continued to intensify its bombardment of the territory. More than 2,700 people have died in the conflict, including 1,300 Israelis and 1,417 Palestinians.
Crucial Quote
The IDF said: “Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields.”
What To Watch For
Israel’s evacuation orders have raised fears that it could be preparing for a full-fledged ground invasion of Gaza. Israeli officials have said their goal is to destroy Hamas for its brutal terror attack on the country last week. On Thursday, IDF spokesperson Richard Hecht said the military is “preparing for a ground maneuver if decided.” The country has mobilized more than 360,000 reservists since Hamas’ attack. A ground offensive into the densely populated enclave, however, is likely to lead to a significant rise in the number of casualties on both sides, and draw other regional players like Lebanon-based Hezbollah into the conflict.
Further Reading
Israel-Hamas Conflict: UN Says More Than 300,000 Displaced In Gaza As Egypt Reportedly Rejects Humanitarian Corridor (Forbes)
Read the full article here
