14-10-2023 (GAZA) As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues to escalate, thousands of Palestinians have fled to southern Gaza in search of refuge after Israel issued an evacuation warning, anticipating further military action.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cautioned that the ongoing intense bombardment is only the beginning of Israel’s retaliation against Hamas, who initiated the violence nearly a week ago, killing more than 1,300 people.
In the past 24 hours, Israeli ground forces have conducted “localised” raids into Gaza, with the aim of purging the area of terrorists and weaponry, as well as locating missing individuals, according to the Israeli army.
Most of the casualties resulting from last Saturday’s attack, where militant fighters breached Israel’s heavily militarized border, were civilians, drawing comparisons to the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
According to the health ministry, at least 1,900 Gazans, the majority of them civilians, including over 600 children, have been killed in a series of missile strikes on this densely populated enclave.
Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States, initially took around 150 Israeli, foreign, and dual national hostages during the initial attack, Israel claims.
Hamas reported on Friday that 13 of these hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes, with an additional four hostages allegedly killed in previous bombardments.
While visiting Israel on Friday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock accused Hamas of using Gaza residents as “shields.” Israel has cut off water, fuel, and food supplies to Gaza, leading to a dire humanitarian crisis.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as reaching “a dangerous new low” and urgently called for “immediate humanitarian access throughout Gaza.” US President Joe Biden expressed his commitment to addressing the humanitarian crisis.
The escalating conflict has led to tensions across the Middle East and beyond, with widespread protests supporting the Palestinian cause. Israel also faces a potential confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A Reuters video journalist was killed in south Lebanon, and others were injured in an incident involving Israeli artillery fire. In the occupied West Bank, at least 16 Palestinians were killed during clashes with Israeli forces at protests in support of Gaza, as reported by the health ministry.
Thousands took part in demonstrations in Beirut, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, and Bahrain in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza. However, Netanyahu’s spokeswoman, Tal Heinrich, asserted that “everything that happens in Gaza is Hamas’s responsibility.”
In Gaza, UN officials disclosed that the Israeli military had issued a directive for the evacuation of approximately 1.1 million people, roughly half of Gaza’s 2.4 million population, within the next 24 hours. Nevertheless, the UN deemed such an immediate mass evacuation “impossible.”
UN expert Paula Gaviria Betancur emphasized that forcing population transfers constitutes a crime against humanity and collective punishment, both of which are prohibited under international humanitarian law. She argued that the evacuation of so many Gazans across an active war zone would result in devastating humanitarian consequences.
The UN and other organizations have urgently appealed for the mass evacuation order to be revoked.
