The exodus of the Palestinian population from Gaza City (which is home to hundreds of thousands of people) has begun after the evacuation order – on the seventh day of the war – issued by the Israeli authorities, but Hamas has invited people to remain still and ignore the orders. “He will only be allowed to return to Gaza City when another announcement is made permitting this,” the army added. But the Hamas organization that oversees refugee issues reiterated that residents of the northern sector of the enclave should remain “still” in their homes and not move forward but resist “this disgusting psychological warfare waged by the occupation.” This was reported by the AP agency.
The UN was also informed by the Israeli army of the order to “relocate”. 1.1 million residents from the north of Gaza to the south within 24 hours, the spokesperson for the organisation’s general secretary, Stéphane Dujarric, told AFP, calling for this order to be cancelled. According to Dujarric, an evacuation of this scale is “impossible without causing devastating humanitarian consequences.” According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 423,000 people have already been forced to flee their homes in the Strip under siege and bombed by the Israeli army. The number of displaced people in this densely populated territory of 2.3 million people rose from 84,444 people to 423,378, according to a statement from the United Nations office.
Hamas: “13 hostages, including foreigners, killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza”
13 hostages, including foreigners, were killed in the Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to Hamas sources. Furthermore, a video from Wednesday of one of Israel’s attacks on Gaza appears to show the use of white phosphorus, the controversial munition that can cause serious harm if used against civilians. The Washington Post reports this, citing an analysis by Human Rights Watch. The video, verified by the Washington Post, shows two artillery rounds fired in rapid succession towards the targets which, once exploded, automatically release white phosphorus. In a statement, Human Rights Watch confirmed that white phosphorus was used over Gaza City.
Bombings in the night
Heavy Israeli bombing also hit the Gaza Strip during the night, particularly near the border. This is demonstrated by videos posted on social media by residents and a note from the Israeli Air Force. “Even at night, and at any time, hundreds of IAF aircraft continue to attack forcefully and seriously damage the enemy’s capabilities”: this is the comment on a video posted by the Israeli Air Force on social media. Israel says it dropped 6,000 bombs, weighing 4,000 tons, on Hamas targets in Gaza in six days, hitting more than 3,600 targets.
The UN has launched an emergency appeal for donations worth 294 million dollars to meet the “urgent needs” of the most vulnerable residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where more than 400,000 Palestinians have fled their homes in recent days and around 50,000 pregnant women no longer have access to care.