- The Israeli military has directed the evacuation of 1.1 million people from northern Gaza, according to a United Nations spokesperson.
- The order signals a looming ground offensive from Israel amid PM Netanyahu’s vow to “crush” the Hamas militants.
- As Israel continues to relentlessly bombard Gaza from the air, Hamas militants have also fired thousands of rockets into Israel.
- The United Nations has warned of “devastating consequences” after the Israeli military asked over a million Gazans to relocate south within 24 hours.
- Israel has imposed a “complete” siege on Gaza, cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies. The Palestinian territory’s sole power plant shut down on Wednesday after running out of fuel.
The Israeli military has directed the evacuation of 1.1 million people from northern Gaza, according to a United Nations spokesperson. The order signals a looming ground offensive from Israel amid PM Netanyahu’s vow to “crush” the Hamas militants.
On the seventh day of the war between Israel and Hamas, since the latter launched an unprecedented attack that killed hundreds of people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to launch a possible ground offensive in Gaza that is expected to be deadlier and more destructive than the airstrikes that have ravaged the Strip.
As Israel continues to relentlessly bombard Gaza from the air, Hamas militants have also fired thousands of rockets into Israel. Netanyahu has pledged to “crush” militants of the Hamas group after they infiltrated the country and gunned down over 1,300 people – a toll previously unseen in Israel in decades of conflict.
The United Nations has warned of “devastating consequences” after the Israeli military asked over a million Gazans to relocate south within 24 hours. The Israeli military said their relocation order was due to Hamas operatives hiding in tunnels under the Gaza city. “Residents of Gaza, move south for your personal safety and your families. Distance yourself from the Hamas terrorists who use you as human shields.” the Israeli Defence Force said.
The UN has called on the Israeli military to take back the mass relocation order for Gazans to avoid the tragedy turning into a “calamitous situation”. “The UN considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” it said.
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken visited Tel Aviv yesterday and assured his country’s support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The deadly Israel-Hamas war completes a week today with peace not visible anywhere near the Middle East. At least 1,200 have died in Israel and another 1,400 in the Gaza Strip since the war began Saturday. Besides, the bodies of 1,500 Hamas operatives were found in the Israeli territory, the government has claimed. Nearly 150 others who were dragged across from the Israeli side are still being held hostage by Hamas.
Israel has imposed a “complete” siege on Gaza, cutting off water, fuel and electricity supplies. The Palestinian territory’s sole power plant shut down on Wednesday after running out of fuel. Israel has vowed that it won’t allow humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas releases the hostages.
The conflict situation has prompted several countries to evacuate their citizens from Israel. India brought back 212 of its citizens from Israel this morning on a special flight under “Operation Ajay”.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Syria have become new challenges for the Israeli military. Israel targeted Syria’s two main airports (in Damascus and Aleppo) yesterday, grounding flights and putting the airports out of service.
Israel and Palestinian groups have fought several wars since Hamas took power in Gaza in 2007. The latest violence erupted a day after Hamas said that the “people had to draw a line to end the occupation” and added that Israel continued to commit crimes across Palestinian land, especially on the holy site of Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
(With inputs from agencies)
