DaysofPal- The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have announced preparations to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza City to the southern part of the enclave, beginning Sunday, just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a new offensive against the besieged people in Gaza City and al-Mawasi.
Despite the Israeli claims of providing what is necessary to the starving people via the United Nations, the UN, however, has not confirmed its participation in the plan or its role in providing aid, noting that the Israeli forces want the UN to participate in the displacement plan of over 1 Million Palestinians, which is completely rejected.
Humanitarian officials warned earlier in the week that thousands of families already living in appalling conditions could be “pushed over the edge” if the displacement goes ahead.
It remains unclear whether the tents are meant for Gaza City’s one million residents or if displaced families would be directed to Rafah, near the Egyptian border.
The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad condemned the move, describing it as “part of Israel’s brutal assault to occupy Gaza City” and “a blatant mockery of international law.”
The group added, “Forcing people to flee amidst starvation, massacres, and displacement is an ongoing crime against humanity … inseparable from the daily crimes in the occupied West Bank.”
Over the past week, Israeli forces have escalated operations on the outskirts of Gaza City, where residents in Zeitoun and Shujayea reported heavy aerial and tank fire.
On Saturday, an Israeli drone strike in the Asqaula area of Zeitoun killed two people and injured several others, whereas another strike near al-Alami Mosque on az-Zarqa Street left one dead and three wounded.
Even areas previously labeled as “safe zones” are no longer spared while in al-Mawasi, an area the Israeli occupation had declared a humanitarian corridor, an air raid killed Motasem al-Batta, his wife, and their baby daughter inside their tent.
“Two and a half months, what has she done?” a neighbor asked, mourning the infant’s death.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that since the Israeli genocide in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, at least 61,827 Palestinians have been killed and 155,275 wounded.
Malnutrition has also claimed 251 lives, including 11 people, among them a child, who died in the past 24 hours alone.
At al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, more than 200 patients are in critical condition due to shortages of medicine, food, and clean water, as doctors say they are being forced to amputate limbs without proper treatment as infection spreads among the wounded. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the hospital’s director, described overcrowded wards filled with malnourished patients.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 14,800 patients in Gaza need lifesaving care that is unavailable inside the enclave.
Health officials estimate that 40,000 infants in Gaza are suffering from severe malnutrition, with aid groups warning that only 10 percent of the territory’s daily food needs are being met.
“The health system is collapsing day by day, and our capacity is very limited,” said Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network.
He added, “The food that enters is barely enough to keep people alive at a minimum level.”
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