Saturday night it finally became clear that an Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip would only be a matter of when and no longer if. The Israeli army announced an “integrated and coordinated attack by air, sea and land” on the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel recently massed tens of thousands of troops on the border with the Gaza Strip. During a visit to the troops, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of the “next phase” that was to come.
On Thursday, the Israeli army had already asked around 1.1 million civilians in the north of the Gaza Strip to leave the area to the south. After an initial ultimatum expired, the army again gave residents time on Saturday to follow a marked escape route to the southern part of the coastal strip. After the time period announced by the army ended in the afternoon, it was unclear what this meant for people who had not yet followed the call to flee.
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However, on Saturday night the army said Israel was giving residents more time “because there are still a large number of people who need to leave.” “We will continue to give civilians time to leave the locations we believe Hamas is using for its terrorist infrastructure,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat.
Mass exodus before ground offensive
Preparations are underway in Israel for a coordinated Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip – not just on the ground, but also by sea and air. The ground offensive could begin at any time.
Israel says Hamas is trying to stop civilians from fleeing. It is clear that Hamas is at least appealing to residents to stay. In a televised speech on Saturday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called on the people of Gaza to refuse “expulsion” within Palestinian territory or to Egypt.
Killed in attack on escape convoy
Images and videos that were supposed to show an attack on a refugee convoy on Friday caused disturbances on Saturday. According to Palestinian information, children were also killed. Several media outlets, including the British BBC, confirmed the authenticity of the material. The Israeli army declined to comment on details on Saturday.
WHO: suspend evacuation call for hospitals
The call for evacuation was also made to hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip. However, several institutions have already announced that they will not comply with the request. After Al-Kuds Hospital in Gaza City, El-Uda Hospital and Kamal Adwan Children’s Hospital also announced that evacuation was not possible. This was reported by the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, citing the aid organization Doctors for Human Rights – Israel.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Israel to immediately withdraw its order to evacuate hospitals. Healthcare facilities, staff and patients must be protected.
In recent days, Al-Kuds Hospital has also become a refuge for numerous Palestinians, including many children and the elderly. According to the head of Gaza’s largest hospital, 35,000 people are currently seeking shelter at the hospital. It was said that many people were too old, too sick or too weak to flee south.
Report: Hamas planned attacks targeting schools
On Saturday, several media outlets, including the New York Times, also reported how Hamas planned its attack on Israel last week and specifically targeted civilian facilities. According to reports, detailed attack plans against dead Hamas fighters were found. In it, Hamas fighters were instructed to storm schools and a youth center on a kibbutz to “kill as many people as possible,” take hostages and quickly bring them to the Gaza Strip.
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No electricity, no water
Following the unprecedented massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas fighters, Israel has carried out massive strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip in recent days and imposed a total blockade on the already largely isolated coastal strip. On Wednesday, the only plant had to stop working due to lack of fuel. Gaza residents depend on emergency power generators. Drinking water in the Gaza Strip is also becoming scarce. Without electricity, water cannot be pumped to the upper floors.
UN emergency aid coordinator: Situation “rapidly becomes unsustainable”
On Saturday, UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffith also commented on the situation in the Gaza Strip. These are currently becoming “rapidly unsustainable”, the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement. In the Gaza Strip there is no electricity, water or fuel and food is becoming dangerously scarce, Griffiths said.
Graphics: APA/ORF; Source: OCHA
He called on all countries with influence to use it to ensure compliance with the rules of war and avoid further escalation. In both the Palestinian territories and Israel, civilians have been suffering “utter fear and devastation” for a week, Griffith said. He fears the worst is yet to come. “Last week was a test for humanity, and humanity failed,” said the UN envoy.
Meanwhile, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced a tripling of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Aid funds for the coastal zone controlled by radical Islamist Hamas would be increased by 50 million euros to a total of 75 million euros, von der Leyen said on Saturday after a conversation with UN Secretary-General António Guterres . The EU continues to work with the United Nations to ensure that aid reaches people in need.
The border crossing into Egypt also remains closed
However, imports of relief goods are currently failing because border crossings are still closed. The Rafah crossing, on the border with Egypt, also remained closed on Saturday. Numerous international citizens were now waiting on the Palestinian side for a possible exit. The US, among others, asked its citizens in the Gaza Strip to go to Rafah. It may happen that the border crossing is opened to foreigners in a short space of time and only for a limited period. However, this did not happen during Saturday.