Military operation initiated by Israel in Gaza City progressing
In the heart of the Middle East, the city of Gaza is under siege. Over the past weeks, Israeli forces have renewed their bombings in Gaza City, ahead of a planned ground offensive, causing thousands of families to flee their homes.
According to reports, nearly 90% of Gaza is now off-limits to Palestinians, as per the U.N. Israeli troops are advancing in Gaza City, encircling the coastal city from the north, east, and south. The planned ground offensive could forcefully displace nearly 1 million Palestinians to the south.
The Israeli military has published a map indicating "vast empty areas" in southern Gaza for Palestinians to flee to. However, Israeli professor Yaakov Garb questions the feasibility of this plan due to designated no-go zones and uninhabitable areas.
The situation in Gaza City is dire. Aid was only ever trickling in, and experts on hunger have declared a famine in the city. Ibrahim Abu Humeidan, a father in Gaza City, shares his plight, saying he's on the street with his family with no money to get south after being displaced multiple times in the war.
The Israeli government's stance is clear. Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli Finance Minister, has stated that Hamas must be defeated and isolated from the population, and that areas of Gaza should be annexed by Israel. Smotrich also suggested that Israel should cut off water and food supplies to those remaining in Gaza City to prevent a "well-fed enemy."
This harsh stance has been met with criticism from international organisations. The International Committee of the Red Cross finds Israel's plan to mass evacuate the city's residents incomprehensible. Satellite images show entire neighborhoods of the city's east flattened in recent weeks by the assault.
Aya Batrawy is reporting from Dubai, with Anas Baba in Gaza City. The situation is fluid, with thousands more families fleeing Israeli fire and encroaching tanks in the city's north this past week. Mohammed Haboush, a resident of Gaza City's Saftawi neighborhood, has fled his home under fire and fears that the current assault is only the start of a larger plan to displace Palestinians from the territory.
Mohammed Haboush, like many others, has fled to Egypt. The future of Gaza City remains uncertain, as the conflict continues to unfold.
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