Israel’s military has told 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza to relocate farther south within 24 hours, the UN said, warning that it was “impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences”. Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said that UN officials had been told “that the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours”.
The order sent panic through civilians and aid workers already struggling under Israeli airstrikes and a blockade. The UN said it was told by the Israeli military that about 1.1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza should relocate to the enclave’s south within the next 24 hours.
Israel’s military, the IDF, called for all civilians in Gaza City to evacuate from their homes southwards because it “will operate significantly in Gaza City in the coming days”. It said residents, “will only be able to return to Gaza City when another announcement permitting”.
Hamas urged people to stay put and defy the order to evacuate their homes. Eyad al-Bozom, spokesperson for the Hamas interior ministry, said “We tell the people of northern Gaza and from Gaza City, stay put in your homes, and your places. By carrying out massacres against the civilians, the occupation wants to displace us once again from our land. The 1948 displacement will not happen. We will die and we will not leave.”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said the UN’s response was “shameful” and that it should focus on condemning Hamas and supporting Israel’s right to self-defence.
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “eradicate” Hamas and said Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza “is just the beginning”. Netanyahu, in televised remarks on Friday, said Israel was striking at its enemies “with unprecedented might”. “Our enemies have only started paying the price,” he said.
