One week after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, the supposed 24 hours of the ultimatum given by Israeli authorities to 1.1 million Palestinians to leave Gaza City and head to the south of the territory are ending. The terrorist group, whose incursion into Israel last week left more than 1,300 dead and 3,000 injured, asked Palestinians not to leave their homes but did not block the exits of thousands of people. This Friday was a “Day of Rage”, with pro-Palestinian protests, but also violent actions.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas spoke of a “second Nakba“, a word meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic and used to refer to the mass departure of Palestinians from their homes during the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. That year, more than 760,000 Palestinians fled or were forced to flee leaving their countries, with the establishment of refugee camps in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, but also in Lebanon, Jordan or Syria.
The 24-hour ultimatum was not unveiled by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), but by the United Nations, which was warned on Thursday evening of the need to withdraw from Gaza. The Israelis have not confirmed the deadline. Many Palestinians wondered “where are we going?”, knowing there is no way to leave the 362 square kilometer area as the only border with Egypt is also closed.
The IDF sent messages in Arabic asking civilians to leave their homes towards the south, beyond the river (Wadi Gaza) “for their own safety and protection” and not towards the security fence on the border with Israel. According to UN reports, even before the ultimatum, 423 thousand people had fled their homes.
“Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza City in tunnels under houses and in buildings occupied by innocent civilians,” the IDF message said. “Distance yourself from the Hamas terrorists who use you as a human shield”, he added, without giving a deadline for the end of the city’s evacuation. “In the coming days, the IDF will continue to operate significantly in Gaza City and make extensive efforts to prevent harm to civilians,” the report concluded. A spokesperson later declined to confirm the deadline, conceding that the evacuation of Gaza “could take time.”
The UN deemed it “impossible” to withdraw in such a short time “without devastating humanitarian consequences”. Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, in statements to AFP, called for the evacuation order to be lifted “to prevent what is already a tragedy from becoming a disastrous situation”. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said it was “unrealistic” to give just 24 hours to evacuate more than a million civilians, at a time when Gaza is blockaded and has no access to electricity, water or fuel.
Turkey called the ultimatum “unacceptable,” denounced “a blatant violation of international laws” and called it “inhumane.” The US called it a “difficult challenge” but said Israel is giving its citizens “fair warning” to leave. Russian President Vladimir Putin compared Israeli actions in Gaza to the Nazis’ “siege of Leningrad during World War II,” also warning that a ground offensive would result in a “totally unacceptable” number of civilian deaths. At least 9,600 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
It is expected that Israeli forces could invade Gaza at any time, but the IDF revealed that it has already conducted raids in the area, not only to neutralize terrorists along the border, but also to try to locate the hostages that Hamas took a week ago has taken. .. The number of people captured is still unclear and is believed to be at least 150. The Palestinian terror group revealed that thirteen hostages have already been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, without this being proven.
“We will never forget or forgive the terrible acts of our enemies,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a rare speech on the eve of Shabbat, promising that the airstrikes on Gaza, which killed nearly 1,800 people and injured 6,400, are “just the beginning.” And he concluded: “We will destroy Hamas and achieve victory. It will take time, but we will end this war stronger than ever,” he concluded.
West Bank and Lebanon
Attention has been focused on Gaza, but at least 46 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in violence linked to the conflict between Hamas and Israel. This Friday, at least eleven Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while taking part in solidarity protests with Gaza, during the Hamas-declared “Day of Rage.” A total of 133 people were injured in various locations in the West Bank.
Israel also fortified its border with Lebanon, fearing possible attacks from Hezbollah – which has already said it is “prepared” for action against the Israelis when the time comes. There have been some gun battles in the region, with Israel shelling southern Lebanon close to the border. This Friday, at least one Reuters journalist died in one of these attacks, while six others were injured, including two from Al-Jazeera.
Source: DN
