Israeli army preparing to order Gaza City evacuation within days: Report
The Israeli army prepares to issue evacuation orders for civilians in Gaza City in the coming days as part of a military plan to occupy the city, local media said on Thursday.
Israeli Channel 14 said the second phase of Operation “Gideon’s Chariots II” includes “a massive aerial fire campaign next week, followed by a ground offensive aimed at achieving full operational control over Gaza City and evacuating its residents.”
On Wednesday, the Israeli army announced the start of the second phase of the assault to occupy Gaza City.
Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir visited the Gaza perimeter Wednesday to review the operational picture, affirming the intention to press ahead with expanded operations, the channel said.
On Aug. 20, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the acceleration of plans to reoccupy the Gaza Strip, beginning with Gaza City, despite international warnings that it could result in the enclave’s total destruction, greater suffering for Palestinians and mass displacement.
Israel has already killed more than 64,200 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Israel kills 16 Palestinians in attacks across Gaza City
Strikes target homes and tents sheltering displaced families.
At least 16 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on homes and tents sheltering displaced families in Gaza City on Friday morning, according to medical sources.
Three people were killed and seven others injured when Israeli warplanes struck an apartment near the Prosthetics Center on Yarmouk Market Street in the Al-Daraj neighborhood.
Three others were killed when a tent housing displaced families on the Islamic University campus in Al-Rimal was targeted, and three more died in a separate strike on an apartment in Tel al-Hawa, southwest Gaza City.
An Israeli drone targeted a tent near Al-Noor Mosque on Al-Thawra Street in Al-Rimal, killing two people, and another two were killed in a strike on an apartment in the Sakeek building in the Al-Sabra neighborhood.
Two more people were killed when a tent sheltering displaced families was bombed near Al-Azhar University intersection, while another civilian was killed when warplanes struck an apartment near the YMCA in western Gaza City.
Israel has already killed more than 64,200 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
ΑΑ
