Israel has begun the first phase of a planned assault on Gaza City, aims to relocate around one million civilians, orders residents to evacuate, threatens to undermine trust in Hamas, and intensifies air strikes, while death toll from starvation rises.
Invasion of Gaza and relocation of a million civilians
The spokesperson for the Israeli army reported that Israel had launched the first phase of the planned assault on Gaza City, the main urban center of the Gaza Strip, in a declared clash with Hamas. Earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces had called up thousands of reservists for a massive offensive in Gaza City. The Israeli government announced the plan to capture the city at the beginning of the month. Over the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the defense minister was to approve an attack plan that includes, among other things, the relocation of about one million civilians remaining in Gaza.
Commander speaks of a ‘terrorists’ bastion’
The spokesperson spoke of a ‘terrorists’ bastion’. ‘We will intensify attacks on Hamas in Gaza City, a bastion of terror… We will increase attacks on terrorist infrastructure on the surface and underground and deny the population trust in Hamas,’ said the army spokesperson. Effie Defrin added that the Israeli Defense Forces ‘are not waiting’ and have already begun preliminary operations in Gaza City ahead of an offensive aimed at capturing the city. He emphasized that IDF troops are already taking control of the outskirts of Gaza City.
Calls from Israel: Gaza residents urged to flee
Reporter Al Jazeera in Gaza City reports that the occupying forces have intensified their actions. The city trembles with the explosions of demolished houses and public utility buildings—Israel aims to eliminate Gaza’s residents. ‘Increasingly more people receive calls from the Israeli army warning them not to stay in areas where they have lived all their lives with ruins, that if they remain there they will be on the front line. They are demanded to leave these areas as quickly as possible and are given only a brief period to prepare. People leave all their property and food supplies, which they have been collecting for weeks,’ writes Hani Mahmoud.
Gaza Strip dying of hunger
Israel conducts air strikes across the entire Gaza Strip, including on camps for displaced persons. At the same time, more Palestinians die of hunger—according to information from the Gaza Ministry of Health, the current tragic toll is 296 deaths from starvation, including 112 children.
Source: Gazeta,
