ISRAEL: The Israeli military has ordered a mass evacuation of the Gaza Strip, home to over two million Palestinians, causing panic and chaos in northern Gaza. Some Gazans expressed concerns that an Israeli ground invasion could lead to another permanent exodus, similar to the 1948 exodus, when over 700,000 Palestinians fled or were driven out of their homes. However, it is too early to know.
Despite ongoing bombings in the south, the Israeli military is urging over one million northern Gazans to move to the southern half of the territory for their safety. However, there is no indication that they should leave or cannot return to their homes once combat ends.
Since Hamas’ surprise offensive on southern Israel, Gaza has been the target of frequent airstrikes, resulting in over 1,900 deaths, including civilians and soldiers. The health ministry reports that the death toll is increasing daily, and despite residents’ attempts to flee, the Israeli attack continues. The region’s health ministry reports that the death toll is increasing daily.
At least 200 Palestinians were injured and 70 killed by airstrikes on a major road, limiting their access to the south. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported the incident, while the Israeli military is investigating the reports.
Video footage captured the aftermath of the attack, showing bloodied and injured individuals among suitcases. Gazan authorities claim some victims were abandoned on the road due to a lack of assistance.
Residents in the Palestinian Territories under occupation are fleeing due to a lack of transportation, either walking or loading onto trucks. Two men were travelling south on a donkey-drawn cart, making peace gestures.
The roads are difficult due to Israeli bombardment, and Francesca Albanese, the UN special envoy on the occupied territories, described the population movement as “massive and alarming.”
Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military’s chief of general staff, stated that Gaza would not look the same after the assault. However, some residents in northern Gaza chose to remain in their homes due to fear of being evicted for good, particularly those who remember the 1948 exodus. One woman in her mid-70s had to be carried out of her home by her children because she didn’t want to leave.
Many people in Gaza City, the largest population centre, were seeking shelter at hospitals and schools. A party centre owner, Mohammed el-Herbawy, and his family declared that there was no cease-fire for them to leave without safety assurances.
Despite their fear, they joined a caravan of cars travelling south, crossing streets they no longer recognized due to airstrikes and claiming that several routes were impassable due to damage.
The Palestine Red Crescent has stated that it lacks resources to transport elderly, disabled, and sick patients from hospitals in Gaza. The organization claims that the entire Gaza Strip has no safe areas and calls for immediate international action.
The doctor in Gaza City, Ms. el-Rayes, left with her brother, his wife, and their five children, leaving with only three bottles of water, a few extra clothes, and the house key. The entire Gaza Strip believes the world has abandoned it.
Mahmoud Shurrab, a resident of Gaza, rushed to a town near the evacuation area after noticing Facebook alerts urging people to leave northern Gaza. He and his mother were camping without protection, feeling confused and uncertain about their return.
Palestinians continue to suffer from the trauma of the 1948 displacements and the decades-long struggle between Israel and the Palestinians. The keys to their homes are kept by many, and the 1967 conflict led to Israel’s annexation of the West Bank and Gaza, displacing over 400,000 Palestinians.
Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, with 200,000 settlers in 2001 and over 465,000 by 2021. Gaza’s Interior Ministry spokesperson, Iyad Bozm, assures no repeat of the 1948 exodus.
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