BY Barak Ravid
The Israeli Ministry of Defense and the IDF notified the UN just before midnight local time that Palestinians living north of Wadi Gaza should evacuate to the southern part of the Gaza Strip in the next 24 hours, according to UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric and another source with direct knowledge.
The big picture: More than 1 million Palestinians live in this area. The message could be a signal that the Israeli military is preparing for an imminent ground operation.
- The sources told Axios that the IDF’s reason for the notification was in order for civilians not to be hurt by the military’s actions and operations.
- “We call on all civilians in Gaza City to move south,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Friday in a press conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Tel Aviv.
- “We don’t want to harm them. Whoever wants to save his life should go south. Hamas is camouflaging itself inside civilian population and we are going to go in and dismantle its infrastructure,” Gallant said.
- More than 1,530 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis have been killed, thousands have been injured, and hundreds of thousands of others have been displaced since the latest fighting between Israel and Hamas began. Hamas is believed to be holding about 150 hostages in Gaza.
Driving the news:Â The Israeli military has carried out a heavy bombardment of Gaza since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Saturday.
- It’s also imposed a “complete siege” on the enclave, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians.
What they’re saying:Â The IDF said in an announcement to Gaza City residents that they should all evacuate and move south of Wadi Gaza…
