The Israeli army announced today, Saturday, that it has observed a "huge movement" of Palestinian civilians toward southern Gaza following a day after issuing an order for residents of Gaza City to leave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate against the Hamas attack that occurred last week.
Over a million Palestinians in northern Gaza are faced with the end of Israel's deadline today to flee south, as Israel promised to eliminate Hamas due to the attack in which its fighters killed 1,300 Israelis, most of them civilians, and took dozens hostage. U.S. President Joe Biden stated that consultations are ongoing with regional governments regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where besieged Palestinians are suffering from power outages and shortages of food and water amid intense Israeli bombardment.
Israel has imposed a full blockade on Gaza, which is governed by Hamas and home to 2.3 million Palestinians, and has bombarded it with unprecedented airstrikes. Gaza authorities report that 1,900 people have been killed. More than a million residents of northern Gaza received a notification from Israel yesterday, Friday, to flee south before an expected ground attack. Hamas has pledged to fight "to the last drop of blood" and urged residents to stay.
Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that forces supported by tanks executed strikes to target Palestinian rocket teams and gather information on the location of hostages, marking the first official report from ground forces in Gaza since the crisis began. In a rare televised statement on Friday, after the start of the Jewish Sabbath, Netanyahu declared, "We strike our enemies with unprecedented force. I assure you this is just the beginning."
Estimates suggest that tens of thousands of Palestinians have headed south from northern Gaza following the Israeli order, according to the United Nations, which noted that over 400,000 Palestinians had already been displaced internally due to the fighting prior to this directive. However, many others stated they would remain, including 20-year-old Mohammed, who, standing outside a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike near central Gaza, said, "Death is better than leaving." Mosques are broadcasting messages urging residents to "hold on to your homes, cling to your land."
The United Nations and other organizations warned of a catastrophe if such a large number of people are forced to flee and stated that the blockade should be lifted to allow aid to enter. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated yesterday, Friday, "We need immediate humanitarian access throughout Gaza so that we can deliver fuel, food, and water to all in need. Even wars have rules."
Biden, in a speech at a charging station in Philadelphia, emphasized that addressing the humanitarian crisis is a top priority. He noted that U.S. teams in the region are working with Israel, Egypt, Jordan, other Arab governments, and the United Nations. He added, "The overwhelming majority of Palestinians have nothing to do with Hamas and the horrific Hamas attacks, and they are suffering as a result."
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric stated that it is impossible for Gaza residents to respond to Israel's orders to move south without "devastating humanitarian consequences," prompting Israel to criticize him for asserting that the UN should condemn Hamas and support Israel's right to self-defense. UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Griffiths wrote on social media, "The squeeze is tightening on the civilian population in Gaza. How is it supposed to move 1.1 million people through a war zone in less than 24 hours?"
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jordan that forced displacement would be a repeat of events from 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled from what is now Israel. Most residents of Gaza are descendants of those refugees. Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, and there is currently no exit. In addition to the Israeli blockade, Egypt has resisted calls to open its borders with Gaza.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday. Austin stated that military aid is flowing to Israel, but this is a time for resolve, not revenge. Gallant replied, "The road will be long, but I promise you that in the end, we will prevail."
Blinken met King Abdullah II in Jordan on Friday and also met with Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank but lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007. Blinken later traveled to Qatar, a U.S. ally with influence among Islamic groups.
In the West Bank, gunfire broke out between pro-Gaza protestors and Israeli security forces. Palestinian officials reported that 16 people were shot dead. There are also concerns about the spread of hostilities, including to Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where recent clashes have been the deadliest since 2006.
Video journalist Issam Abdullah of Reuters was killed yesterday while working in southern Lebanon from rockets fired from the direction of Israel, according to another Reuters cameraman at the scene. Six other journalists were injured. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and a member of parliament from Hezbollah blamed Israel for the incident.
Israel's envoy to the United Nations stated that he will investigate what occurred in the region following the journalist's death. Envoy Gilad Erdan added, "We always try to minimize and avoid civilian casualties. We certainly never want to hurt or kill or shoot any journalist doing their job."
