The Age /Reuters with Mary Ward | Ari Rabinovitch | 15.10.23
The Israeli military has said it has seen a ‘‘significant movement’’ south of Palestinian civilians, a day after ordering Gaza City residents to flee, as Israel’s prime minister promised further retaliation for Hamas’ rampage last week.
Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas in retaliation for the attack a week ago, in which Hamas fighters killed 1300 Israelis, mainly civilians, and seized scores of hostages.
Israel has since put the Hamasrun Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under a total siege and bombarded it with unprecedented air strikes. Gaza authorities say 1900 people have died.
Yesterday, residents of Gaza’s north were given a six-hour window to move south along two roads in the enclave, with a senior member of the Israeli military issuing the instructions via social media.
Lieutenant Colonel Avichay Adraee wrote in Arabic that the Israeli Defence Force ‘‘will allow movement on the indicated streets without any harm between the hours of 10:00 and 16:00’’.
‘‘If you care about yourself and your loved ones, go south as instructed. Rest assured that Hamas leaders have taken care of themselves and are taking cover from strikes in the region,’’ he wrote.
On Friday, more than a million residents of northern Gaza received a notice from Israel to flee south within 24 hours, a deadline that expired at 5am (1pm yesterday AEDT).
‘‘We have seen a significant movement of Palestinian civilians towards the south,’’ Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus told a video briefing.
He did not mention the deadline and did not take questions.
‘‘Around the Gaza Strip, Israeli reserve soldiers in formation [are] getting ready for the next stage of operations,’’ he added.
‘‘They are all around the Gaza Strip, in the south, in the centre and in the north, and they are preparing themselves for whatever target they get, whatever task.’’
Hamas vowed to fight to the last drop of blood and told residents to stay.
The Israeli military said tankbacked troops had mounted raids to hit Palestinian rocket crews and gather information on the location of hostages, the first official account of ground troops in Gaza since the crisis began.
An Israeli drone killed a number of militants who tried to infiltrate Israel from Lebanon, it added yesterday.
‘‘We are striking our enemies with unprecedented might,’’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a rare statement televised after the Jewish Sabbath began on Friday. ‘‘I emphasise that this is only the beginning.’’
Tens of thousands of Palestinians were estimated to have headed south from northern Gaza after the Israeli order, according to the United Nations, which said more than 400,000 Palestinians had been internally displaced due to hostilities before the directive.
Many others, however, said they would stay. ‘‘Death is better than leaving,’’ said Mohammad, 20, outside a building smashed by an Israeli air strike near the centre of Gaza.
Mosques broadcast the message, ‘‘Hold on to your homes. Hold on to your land.’’
The United Nations and other organisations warned of a disaster if so many people were forced to flee, calling for the siege to be lifted to let in aid.
‘‘We need immediate humanitarian access throughout Gaza, so that we can get fuel, food and water to everyone in need. Even wars have rules,’’ UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of Hamas rival Palestinian Authority, told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jordan the forced displacement would constitute a repeat of 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from what is now Israel.
Most Gazans are descendants of such refugees.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday. Austin said military aid was flowing into Israel but the time was one for resolve, not revenge.
‘‘The path will be long, but ultimately I promise you we will win,’’ Gallant said.