11/19/2023 11:23 am (act. 11/19/2023 11:23 am)
Thousands flee to the south of the Gaza Strip ©APA/AFP
According to the UN, around 10,000 people fled the northern Gaza Strip to the south on Saturday. The number is based on estimates from UN observers on the ground, the UN emergency relief office, OCHA, said on Sunday morning. These included unaccompanied minors.
The people responded to the call of the Israeli armed forces, which for weeks have been demanding that civilians leave the northern part of the isolated coastal zone. According to Israel, the Islamist Hamas maintains command centers and rocket launch bases in hospitals, schools and homes in the north.
According to OCHA, refugees reported having to pass through Israeli checkpoints with facial recognition machines. Apparently, Israel fears that known terrorists are among the refugees. Some people were arrested there, according to unconfirmed reports.
On Sunday, the military again appealed to people in the north to flee south of the isolated coastal strip – as they have done every day. A few days ago, satellite images showed a large crowd of people fleeing south.
According to the army, there are only targeted attacks against Hamas leaders in areas designated for the civilian population in the south. But even there there are repeated air attacks with many deaths. People live in extremely precarious conditions in the south of the Gaza Strip and aid workers speak of a humanitarian catastrophe.