Jerusalem: Israel has announced to intensify attacks in Gaza City, suspects that Hamas is still working through tunnels even after 23 months.
Israel has taken this step to weaken Hamas. Israel said it would soon slow down or stop humanitarian aid in parts of northern Gaza. An official said Israel would reduce the arrival of aid trucks to the northern part of the Gaza Strip, as it prepares to evacuate millions of residents to the south.
Israel on Friday declared Gaza City a war zone and called it a Hamas stronghold. Israel alleged that a network of tunnels is still in use here despite the nearly 23-month-long war. In recent days, the Israeli army has intensified attacks on the outskirts of the city. Several big explosions took place in Gaza on Friday night.
Israel has made this announcement at a time when the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 63,000. According to health officials at Awada Hospital, four people were killed in Israeli firing while trying to deliver aid to central Gaza on Saturday. However, it is not yet decided when the blockage in aid will begin and when the air aid will stop completely. As of Saturday, no air aid reached Gaza for several days.
Palestinians asked to move south
On Friday, the Israeli army spokesman asked the Palestinians to move south. At the same time, aid groups have warned that the large-scale evacuation of people from Gaza city will worsen the serious humanitarian crisis. A leading expert on the food crisis said that Gaza city is in a state of famine and five lakh people in this strip are facing a terrible level of hunger.
Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said such an evacuation would trigger a mass exodus that no region of the Gaza Strip can afford, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the acute shortage of food, water, shelter and medical care. It is impossible to evacuate people from Gaza City on a large scale in a safe and dignified manner.
People leaving Gaza City
Hundreds of residents have begun leaving Gaza City. They are loading their remaining belongings onto pickup trucks or donkey carts. Many have been forced to leave their homes more than once. The United Nations reported on Thursday that 23,000 people were evacuated last week, but many in Gaza City say they have no safe place to go. Others displaced to the south worry that there is no food and no water available. Even when it is available, it is undrinkable. She said what makes the situation even worse is the displacement of residents. When the number of displaced people increases, the problem increases further.