2023-10-14 21:37:55
Saturday evening it finally became clear that an Israeli ground offensive in the Gaza Strip would only be a question of when and no longer if. The Israeli army announced an “integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land” on the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel recently massed tens of thousands of soldiers 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 coming.
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 gave the residents time once more on Saturday to follow a marked escape route to the southern part of the coastal strip. After the time window announced by the army closed in the followingnoon, it remained unclear what this meant for those people who had not yet followed the call to flee.
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However, on Saturday evening, the army said that Israel was giving the residents more time “because there are still a huge number of people who have to leave.” “We will continue to give civilians time to leave the places that 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 only on the ground, but also by sea and air. The ground offensive might start at any time.
Israel says Hamas is trying to stop civilians from fleeing. It is clear that Hamas is at least calling on residents to stay. In a televised speech on Saturday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called on the people of Gaza to refuse “expulsion” within the Palestinian territory or to Egypt.
Dead in attack on escape convoy
Images and videos that were supposed to show an attack on a refugee convoy on Friday caused disruption 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 did not want to comment on details on Saturday.
WHO: Lift evacuation call for hospitals
The call to evacuate also went out to hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip. However, several institutions have already announced that they will not comply with the request. After the Al-Kuds Hospital in Gaza City, the El-Uda Hospital and the 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 Physicians for Human Rights–Israel.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Israel to immediately withdraw the call to evacuate hospitals. Healthcare facilities, employees 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 in the hospital. It was said that many people were too old, too sick or too weak to flee south.
Report: Hamas planned targeted attacks on schools
On Saturday, several media outlets, including the New York Times, also reported on how Hamas had planned its attack on Israel last week and specifically targeted civilian facilities. According to the reports, detailed attack plans were found on killed Hamas fighters. In it, the Hamas fighters were instructed to storm schools and a youth center in a kibbutz in order 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
After the unprecedented massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas fighters, Israel has carried out massive attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip in recent days and imposed a total blockade on the already largely cut-off coastal strip. On Wednesday, the only power plant had to stop operating due to a lack of fuel. The residents of Gaza rely on emergency power generators. Drinking water in the Gaza Strip is also becoming scarce. Without electricity, water cannot be pumped to upper floors.
UN emergency aid coordinator: Situation “quickly becoming untenable”
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, no 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 “complete fear and devastation” for a week, Griffith said. He fears the worst is yet to come. “The past week has been a test of humanity, and humanity has failed,” said the UN envoy.
Meanwhile, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a tripling of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Aid funds for the coastal area controlled by the radical Islamic Hamas would be increased by 50 million euros to a total of 75 million euros, said von der Leyen on Saturday following a conversation with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The EU continues to work with the United Nations to ensure that aid reaches those in need.
The border crossing to Egypt also remains closed
However, the import of relief goods is currently failing because the border crossings are still closed. The Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt also remained closed on Saturday. Numerous international nationals were now waiting there on the Palestinian side for a possible exit. The USA, among others, had asked its citizens in the Gaza Strip to go to Rafah. It might be that the border crossing will be opened to foreigners at short notice and only for a limited time. However, this did not happen during Saturday.
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