Israeli tanks closed a key road south of Gaza City on Thursday, preventing people who had fled the besieged city from returning. According to Defense Minister Israel Katz, this is a “last chance” for hundreds of thousands to evacuate before the army expands its offensive against “Hamas” fighters, “Reuters” reports, quoted by News.bg.
Israeli authorities are demanding that the entire population withdraw to the south as the military begins one of the largest operations this month, aimed at “complete destruction” of militants in the urban neighborhoods of Gaza's largest city.
Witnesses told “Reuters“ that sand barriers had been built along the road. People were being allowed to leave, but not to return. Katz said those leaving would be subject to military checks.
The army announced a day earlier that it was launching an operation to strengthen control over the so-called “Netzarim Corridor“, which separates the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. According to UN data, between 600,000 and 700,000 people remain in the city, after about 400,000 have already fled in recent weeks.
However, some residents refuse to leave. "We are afraid that if we leave, we will never return to our city," said 24-year-old Hani, quoted by the agency.
Meanwhile, Israeli planes and tanks continued their bombardment. The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 77 people had been killed in the past 24 hours. Among them were nine civilians, including five members of a family, killed in a strike near a soup kitchen in Al-Mawasi, an area designated by Israel as a "humanitarian" area.
Health authorities warn that the ground offensive is increasingly paralyzing the work of medical facilities. Four hospitals have already closed, and the largest - "Al Shifa" - has sharply reduced its activities due to the continuous strikes in the area. Patients are alarmed that their lives are in danger.
The conflict began after a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Since then, the Israeli campaign has claimed the lives of more than 66,000 people in Gaza, according to the local health ministry.