Israel Asks Gaza City Civilians To Evacuate, UN Calls Order “Impossible” .
The United Nations warned of “devastating consequences” after Israeli military asked over a million Gazans and UN officials to relocate south within 24 hours, indicating that Israel may soon begin a deadly ground assault.
Israeli military has started massing up its tanks near the border and ordered the evacuation of civilians from the Gaza city. “Residents of Gaza, move south for your personal safety and your families. Distance yourself from the Hamas terrorists who use you as human shield. IDF will continue to operate significantly in Gaza City in the coming days, and wishes to avoid harming civilians,” the Israeli Defence Force said. Gaza shares its boundary with Egypt in the south and with Israel in the north and east.
The UN has called on the Israel military to take back the mass relocation order for Gazans to avoid the tragedy turn into a “calamitous situation”. “The UN considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” it said. The UN has moved its operations to southern Gaza after it said the order would be applicable even to UN staff and those sheltered in UN facilities like schools and clinics. (LIVE Updates)
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken visited Tel Aviv yesterday and assured his country’s support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said he was shown horrifying photos of “baby riddled with bullets” and “soldiers beheaded”. The US has confirmed the death of at least 22 Americans in Israel.
The deadly Israel-Hamas war completes a week today with peace not visible anywhere near the Middle East. At least 1,200 have died in Israel and another 1,400 in Gaza strip since the war began Saturday. Besides, the bodies of 1,500 Hamas operatives were found in the Israeli territory, the government has claimed. Nearly 150 others who were dragged across from the Israeli side are still being held hostage by Hamas.
Israel has imposed a “complete” siege on Gaza, cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies. The Palestinian territory’s sole power plant shut down on Wednesday after running out of fuel. Israel has vowed that it won’t allow humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas releases the hostages.
The conflict situation has prompted several countries to evacuate their citizens from Israel. India brought back 212 of its citizens from Israel this morning on a special flight under “Operation Ajay”. Flights have been arranged to facilitate the return of those who were unable to do so because Air India has suspended its flight from Israel. The government is bearing the cost of their return.
Hamas launched a fierce rocket attack and hundreds of its operatives went on a rampage in Israeli border towns on Saturday, slaughtering civilians and kidnapping them to Gaza. This triggered Israeli airstrikes on Hamas hideouts in Gaza strip, reducing neighbourhoods into rubble.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Syria have become new challenges for the Israeli military. Israel targeted Syria’s two main airports (in Damascus and Aleppo) yesterday, grounding flights and putting the airports out of service. It also exchanged artillery fire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, in a contested region.
Saturday’s Hamas assault unfolded on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah and came exactly 50 years and a day after the outbreak of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Among the worst assaults was the massacre of about 270 people at a music festival near the Gaza strip. Hundreds of young Israelis and foreigners were forced to flee as the terror unfolded in the early hours.
Israel and Palestinian groups have fought several wars since Hamas took power in Gaza in 2007. The latest violence erupted a day after Hamas said that the “people had to draw a line to end the occupation” and added that Israel continued to commit crimes across Palestinian land, and especially on the holy site of Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
