Israel-Hamas War: Evacuate Gaza Now – Israeli Military Warns City Residents

Ahead of military operation ‘in coming days’, the United Nations (UN) said late on Thursday evening in New York that it had received an evacuation order from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) saying that everyone in northern Gaza should leave within the next 24 hours and go to the south of the area.

The United Nations (UN) spokesperson stated that the evacuation order affects 1.1 million people and will spark ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’, amid expectations of Israeli ground assault

According to the UN statement, they had been informed that “The entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza” must evacuate to southern Gaza, adding that the order applied to the Gazans sheltering in UN facilities, and to UN staff. Wadi Gaza is the river that divides Gaza roughly into north and South.

The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said that the area included 1.1 million people and that the task would be “impossible without devastating humanitarian consequences”. So far, the figures released by the UN indicate that about 400,000 people have been displaced with 23 aid workers killed in Gaza since the weekend conflict escalated.

At about 7.30 am in Tel Aviv on Friday, an IDF spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus released a daily video update in which he read out a statement from the IDF directed at residents of Gaza City calling for them to evacuate south of the Gaza River.

However, there seem to be conflicting reports on the present population figures in Gaza. while Reuters reports that the population of Gaza City is one million people. Al Jazeera puts the figure at 700,000 people.

The update did not indicate how much time Palestinians would be given to evacuate. Conricus, who is the International Spokesperson of the IDF, only said; “We understand that this will take time, it’s not an easy process”.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) evacuation statement reads in full: “The IDF calls for the evacuation of all civilians from Gaza City, from their homes, southwards, for their own safety and protection, and to move to the area south of Wadi Gaza, the river Gaza, as shown on the map.

“The Hamas terrorist organisation waged a war against the state of Israel, and Gaza City is an area where military operations are taking place. This evacuation is for your own safety. You will be able to return to Gaza City only when another announcement permitting it is made. Do not approach the area of the security fence of Israel. Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza City, inside tunnels, underneath houses, and inside buildings populated with innocent civilians who are using you as human shields.

“In the following days, the IDF will continue to operate with significant force in Gaza City and will make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians.”

Meanwhile, in updating its advisory for British citizens within Gaza, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office stated thus: “The Israeli military announced on the morning of 13 October that the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours. We advise following this advice issued by the Israeli authorities. We recognise this as a fast-moving situation that poses significant risks.”

Also, the UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA) said early on Friday that more than 400,000 people had fled their homes in the Gaza Strip and 23 aid workers had been killed since the start of Israeli retaliatory strikes in response to the Hamas attack on Saturday.

The agency launched an appeal for nearly $294m (£241m/€279m) to help the 1.3 million people in Gaza and the West Bank, of which nearly half was designated for food aid as supplies ran out.

Reuters quoted OCHA, referring to the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency, as saying; “Mass displacement continues. In the Gaza Strip, the cumulative number of internally displaced persons increased by 25% over the past 24 hours, now exceeding 423,000, of whom over two-thirds are taking shelter in UNRWA schools”.

It said 23 aid workers had so far been killed since the weekend, including 11 health workers and 12 UNRWA employees. Also, Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reports that hundreds of thousands of people have begun moving towards the Al Shifa medical complex in Gaza City, following the news of the evacuation order. – With The Guardian reports