[1/2]Palestinians search for victims after an Israeli attack on a house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 25, 2023. Portal/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa LICENSES
Oct 25 (Portal) – Israel has ordered civilians in the northern Gaza Strip, including residents of Gaza City, to move to the south of the enclave, saying it would be safer there as the military blocked Hamas after they crossed the border on October 7 attacks attack.
However, Israeli warplanes have continued to attack sites in the southern Gaza Strip, raising fears among evacuees that they are just as at risk there as they were in their homes in the north. Here you will find an overview of the situation.
WHY IS ISRAEL STILL BEATING SOUTH?
Since ordering Gazans to move south, the Israeli military (IDF) has continued to shell targets across the region, killing an unknown number of civilians. In total, authorities in Gaza say 6,546 Palestinians have died since Israeli attacks began on October 7.
Local residents said the bombardment of the south intensified on October 25. An attack destroyed several homes in Khan Younis, about 10 km (6 miles) from the Egyptian border.
The IDF said that although its main center of power is in Gaza City, Hamas is anchored among civilians throughout the enclave.
“Wherever a Hamas target is located, the IDF will attack it to thwart the group’s terrorist capabilities, while taking practical precautions to mitigate harm to innocent civilians,” the military said on Wednesday, repeating previous statements .
The military said the houses where militants live are “legitimate targets,” even if civilians live next to them.
“The so-called private house is not a private house,” a senior Israeli Air Force officer told reporters in a recent briefing.
Why did Israel order the evacuation to the south?
The Israeli military said on October 12 that nearly half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents should move to the southern half of the Gaza Strip within 24 hours. The military said the order was aimed at keeping civilians away from “Hamas terror targets,” which it said were concentrated in the north.
Military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said afterwards: “We are preparing the area for significant military activity in Gaza City. This is the next level. That is why we call on civilians to go south of the Gaza River.”
Israel has massed troops on the Gaza border and is widely expected to launch a land invasion.
On October 18, the military asked Gazans to evacuate to a so-called humanitarian zone in Al Mawasi on the southern Gaza Strip coast.
Israel renewed its warnings on October 22, saying anyone in the north could be identified as a sympathizer of a “terrorist organization” if they did not leave.
How many people moved?
Hamas has called on Palestinians to ignore Israeli warnings.
Israel said on Wednesday it had attacked Hamas roadblocks that it believed were preventing people from evacuating.
Despite Hamas’s attempts to halt an exodus, local residents and international aid groups said there had been a mass expulsion of people from the north and other areas of the enclave considered particularly vulnerable to attacks.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated on October 24 that more than 1.4 million people in Gaza are internally displaced.
Gaza’s border crossings with Egypt and Israel are closed, leaving residents trapped in the enclave.
WHAT HAS THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SAY?
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said giving hundreds of thousands of people just a few hours to leave their homes was “dangerous and deeply worrying.” Many Western governments have called for a pause in fighting to open humanitarian corridors for trapped civilians. Arab nations have called on Israel to end the war.
Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Edited by James Mackenzie and Nick Macfie
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