Israel warns those in Gaza’s north to flee – DW – 10/13/2023

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) called for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in Gaza City to evacuate their homes and move toward the south. 

“The IDF calls for the evacuation of all civilians of Gaza City from their homes southwards for their own safety and protection and to move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza,” the army said in a statement.

Additionally, the United Nations said it was informed late Thursday of an Israeli directive to those living in Gaza’s north to relocate to the southern part of the enclave.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said UN staff in Gaza “were informed by their liaison officers in the Israeli military that the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours.”

“This amounts to approximately 1.1 million people,” Dujarric added, or nearly half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population.

“The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences,” Dujarric said.

The UN has appealed to Israel to retract the order to avoid worsening the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

More than 423,000 people have been displaced from their homes in Gaza due to the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas, the United Nations said on Friday.

Israel has been striking the Gaza Strip in response to a terrorist attack carried out in Israel by Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the EU, the US, Germany and many other countries.

The United Nations has issued an emergency appeal for $294 million (€279 million) to address “the most urgent needs” of people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank as fighting between Israel and militant group Hamas continues.

The funds would be used to help more than 1.2 million people, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

According to the OCHA, “most residents in the Gaza Strip no longer have access to drinking water from service providers or domestic water through pipelines.”

“UNICEF reports some have already begun drinking seawater,” it added.

OCHA said medical facilities are also overwhelmed and pointed to some 50,000 pregnant women who now face difficulties accessing essential health services.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday accused Israel’s military of using white phosphorus in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

The advocacy group said it reached the conclusion after verifying footage shot on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Any time that white phosphorus is used in crowded civilian areas, it poses a high risk of excruciating burns and lifelong suffering,” said HRW’s Middle East and North Africa director Lama Fakih said.

“White phosphorous is unlawfully indiscriminate when airburst in populated urban areas, where it can burn down houses and cause egregious harm to civilians.”

White phosphorus ignites when exposed to atmospheric oxygen, creating intense heat, light and smoke.

Israel has declared a state of war after the  militant group Hamas committed terrorist attacks against Israel on Saturday.

Police in the Australian state of New South Wales are considering using special stop-and-search powers on attendees at a pro-Palestinian rally scheduled for Sunday.

Police said they had sought legal advice about the powers, which have not been deployed since the 2005 race riots in Cronulla.

The move comes after some protesters were heard chanting “gas the Jews” at an earlier rally on Monday organized by the same group that plans Sunday’s rally.

Under the powers, police would be able to search protesters and demand their identities without giving a reason.

“If they fail to do so it is an offense, these are extraordinary powers,” Acting New South Wales Police Commissioner David Hudson told a news conference. 

zc/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters, DPA)