A week after Israel was hit by a deadly surprise attack from Hamas, the Israeli military has issued a warning of an impending widespread offensive in northern Gaza. This warning comes after
approximately one million civilians were ordered to evacuate the area.
Gaza, ruled by Hamas, is facing turmoil in the wake of the sweeping evacuation order, which affects about half of the territory's population. Gaza is also grappling with a growing water crisis as Palestinians seek to leave northern Gaza on foot, by car, and even with donkey carts.
Humanitarian organizations have expressed concern that the evacuees have nowhere to go. The exit route from Gaza into Egypt also appeared to be sealed, with confusion regarding whether the neighboring country would permit anyone to leave Gaza.
An offensive, more powerful than Israel's previous shelling of Gaza, appears to be on the horizon. Israel's Chief Military Spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, announced, "We are going to attack Gaza City very broadly soon" in a nationally broadcast address, though he did not specify a timetable for the attack.
Gaza has a population of over 2 million people within an area of about 139 square miles. The northern part of the territory includes Gaza City, the 63rd most densely populated urban region globally. Israel has sealed off the Gaza Strip, blocking the entry of food, and has vowed to continue its siege until Hamas returns dozens of hostages taken the previous weekend.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reiterated U.S. support for Israel's right to self-defense while emphasizing the need to protect civilians.
Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas official, stated that "all the massacres" will not break the Palestinian people.
Attacks continue, with Hamas launching rockets into Israel and Israel conducting strikes in Gaza. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, approximately 1,800 people have been killed in the territory, while the Israeli military reported that over 1,300 people, including 222 soldiers, have been killed in Israel.
Latest Developments:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned Israel's evacuation orders for 22 hospitals in northern Gaza, where over 2,000 patients are being treated. WHO has stated that forcing sick and injured patients to move "could be tantamount to a death sentence."
Israel's military announced that it is "preparing to implement a wide range of offensive operative plans" in the Gaza Strip, involving air, ground, and naval forces.
Israeli troops conducted temporary raids into Gaza on Friday, battling militants and searching for some 150 people, including men, women, and children, who were abducted during Hamas' assault on southern Israel.
Patients and medical staff from Al Awda Hospital in Gaza spent part of the night on the street, with bombs falling nearby, following Israel's evacuation orders for the facility, as reported by the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders.
Additionally:
Iran's foreign minister has warned Israel to halt its attacks on Gaza, cautioning that the conflict could expand to other parts of the Middle East if Hezbollah joins the battle. This could result in a significant crisis for Israel, according to Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iran's foreign minister. He revealed that he met with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah group, a significant threat to Israel, during his visit to Beirut. Photo by gloucester2gaza, Wikimedia commons.