18-11-2023 (GAZA) Israel has issued a new warning to Palestinians in the southern city of Khan Younis, urging them to relocate westward away from the escalating conflict. The move comes as an indication of Israel’s intentions to target Hamas in southern Gaza following its operations in the north.
“We’re asking people to relocate. I know it’s not easy for many of them, but we don’t want to see civilians caught up in the crossfire,” stated Mark Regev, an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during an interview with MSNBC on Friday (Nov 17).
This call for relocation may force hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, who previously fled south from the Israeli assault on Gaza City, to move again. This includes the residents of Khan Younis, a city with a population exceeding 400,000, further exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
Israel has pledged to eliminate the Hamas militant group controlling the Gaza Strip, following an Oct 7 incursion into Israel, resulting in 1,200 casualties and 240 hostages taken into the enclave. Subsequently, Israel has extensively bombed Gaza City, ordered the depopulation of the northern half of the enclave, and left approximately two-thirds of the strip’s 2.3 million Palestinians homeless. Many of those who fled fear a prolonged displacement.
According to Gaza health authorities, the death toll has surpassed 12,000 people, with 5,000 of them being children. The United Nations considers these figures credible, though updates are infrequent due to the challenges of information collection.
In response to the escalating situation, Israel dropped leaflets over eastern areas of Khan Younis, instructing residents to evacuate to shelters, signaling imminent military operations. Regev explained that Israeli Defence Forces would need to enter the city to remove Hamas fighters from underground tunnels and bunkers. However, he assured that such extensive infrastructure is not present in less built-up areas to the west.
“We’re asking them to move to an area where hopefully there will be tents and a field hospital,” Regev added, emphasizing that humanitarian aid could be brought in swiftly due to the proximity of the western areas to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
As the conflict enters its seventh week, there is no sign of a ceasefire, despite international calls for one. Hamas armed wing spokesman Abu Ubaida asserted, “We have prepared ourselves for a long and sustained defence from all directions.”
Addressing concerns of a humanitarian crisis, Israel, under international pressure, agreed to allow fuel trucks into Gaza. Israel committed to permitting two truckloads of fuel daily, with plans to increase aid based on United Nations requests.
Colonel Elad Goren from COGAT, the ministry of defence agency coordinating with Palestinians, stated, “We will increase the capacity of humanitarian convoys and trucks as long as there is a need.” This marks a potential shift in tone, responding to warnings from UN agencies about the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Amidst the conflict, Al Shifa, Gaza’s largest hospital, has been a primary target of Israel’s ground assault. Israel claims to have found weapons and an underground structure, identified as a Hamas tunnel shaft, at the hospital. However, hospital staff dispute these claims.
Tragically, a premature baby at Al Shifa hospital succumbed to the dire conditions on Friday. Additionally, Hamas reported the death of an 85-year-old captive from Israel, attributing the death to a panic attack during an air strike.
In Israel, the recovery of the body of 19-year-old conscript Noa Marciano, abducted during the Oct 7 Hamas onslaught, was marked by a funeral. The military also recovered the body of Yehudit Weiss, 65, a mother of five seized from Kibbutz Be’eri.
