DaysofPal – Israel has announced plans to forcibly evacuate Palestinians from what it calls “combat zones” in northern Gaza to the south, just days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the army had been given the green light to seize control of Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban center.
The army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on Saturday that residents would be provided with tents and shelter equipment, transported through the Kerem Shalom crossing by the United Nations and international relief agencies. The UN has not commented on the plan or confirmed its role in supplying assistance.
The announcement raised immediate concerns, as the UN has already warned that thousands of families enduring dire humanitarian conditions could face further catastrophe if Israel proceeds with its plan for Gaza City, which is home to an estimated one million people.
Escalating Attacks and Civilian Casualties
Over the past week, Israeli forces have intensified their bombardment around Gaza City, particularly in Zeitoun and Shujayea. On Saturday, an Israeli drone strike in the Asqaula area of Zeitoun killed two people and wounded several others. Another airstrike near the al-Alami Mosque in eastern Gaza killed one person and injured three more.
Israel’s warplanes, meanwhile, attacked the al-Mawasi camp in southern Gaza, which was formerly known as a “humanitarian safe zone.” An air raid killed Motasem al-Batta, his wife, and their infant daughter inside their tent.
A neighbor, Fathi Shubeir, said displaced civilians were packed into the area, adding of the baby, “Two and a half months, what has she done?”
The armed group Islamic Jihad condemned Israel’s evacuation plan as “part of its brutal attack to occupy Gaza City” and accused it of committing crimes against humanity. “Forcing people to flee amidst starvation, massacres, and displacement is an ongoing crime,” the group said.
Hunger, Disease, and a Collapsing Health System
The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate at alarming speed. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Saturday that at least 61,827 people have been killed since October 2023. Malnutrition has already claimed 251 lives, with 11, including a child, dying of starvation in the last 24 hours alone.
At al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Director Mohammed Abu Salmiya described conditions as catastrophic, with over 200 patients clinging to life amid acute shortages of food and medicine. Doctors, he said, were increasingly resorting to amputations due to untreatable infections. The World Health Organization estimates more than 14,800 patients in Gaza require lifesaving treatment that is simply unavailable in the enclave.
One such patient, 20-year-old Marah Abu Zuhri, was evacuated to Pisa, Italy, on a humanitarian flight. Severely emaciated and suffering from “serious wasting,” she died shortly after arrival, underscoring that even evacuation offers no guarantee of survival.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 40,000 infants are suffering from severe malnutrition. Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, said only “10 percent” of the daily food requirements are entering Gaza due to Israeli restrictions, leaving the population barely surviving at a “minimum level.”
The humanitarian disaster is also affecting Israeli captives still held in Gaza. The families of 50 remaining hostages were shaken by recent videos showing their emaciated loved ones pleading for food and help.
A group representing the families called for mass demonstrations across Israel on Sunday, urging citizens to join what it described as “the most just and moral struggle: the struggle to bring all 50 hostages home.”
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=66674
