Israel Ground Assault in Gaza: The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have asked civilians in Gaza city to evacuate their homes in the next 24 hours and move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza ahead of their ground assault in the Hamas controlled region. In a statement released on Friday, the IDF said that it “calls for the evacuation of all civilians of Gaza City from their homes southwards for their own safety and protection and move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza, as shown on the map.” According to the United Nations, around 1.1 million Gazans – around half of their total population – will be affected by the evacuation order.
Israel-Hamas war: 10 points
- The military said that Hamas waged a war against Israel and that its military operations are going to take place in the Gaza City area from where the Palestinian militant organization operates.
- The Israeli military said that civilians of Gaza are not their enemy and the relocation announcement is for their own safety. “This evacuation is for your own safety,” the IDF message read.
- The Israeli military also urged the civilians in the Gaza to not become “human shields” for the Hamas militants and return to their homes only after the announcement permitting it is made.
- “Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza City inside tunnels underneath houses and inside buildings populated with innocent Gazan civilians. Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields,” the message added.
- The development has come amid local media reports of a likely ground assault in Gaza in less than 48 hours.
- More than 300,000 military personnel have already been sent near to the Gaza border and IDF said they are ready to execute the mission given to them by the Israeli government.
- Israeli military has been pounding Hamas targets since October 7 when the militants fired thousands of missiles towards Israel and invaded the Israeli territory, killing over a thousand people, including babies, children, their mothers and fathers.
- The IDF has said that it will continue to operate extensively in the Gaza city in the coming days and the evacuation warning was part of its efforts to avoid civilian causalities.
- Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned the Israeli military of “devastating consequences” of the ground assault and called on the Israeli government to take back the relocation order.
- “The UN considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” it said.