Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, spokesperson says
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Palestinians inspecting the site of an Aug 15 Israeli strike on a school in Gaza City that was sheltering displaced people.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Israeli military to provide tents and equipment to Gaza residents from August 17 for relocation to "safe zones".
- Equipment will be transferred via Kerem Shalom crossing by UN and international relief organisations after inspection.
- Netanyahu insists on defeating Hamas, while Hamas refuses to disarm without an independent Palestinian state.
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GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories - Gaza residents would be provided with tents and other shelter equipment starting from Aug 17 ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave “to ensure their safety”, the Israeli military said on Aug 16.
This came days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Aug 17 said that before launching the offensive, the civilian population will be evacuated to what he described as “safe zones” from Gaza City, which he called Hamas’ last stronghold.
The shelter equipment will be transferred via the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza by the United Nations and other international relief organisations after being inspected by Defence Ministry personnel, the military said.
A spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs expressed concern over Israel’s plans to relocate people to southern Gaza, saying it would only increase suffering.
But the UN body welcomed Israel’s recognition that shelter is a desperate need and that tents and other shelter equipment will be allowed into Gaza again.
“The UN and its partners will seize the opportunity this opens,” the spokesperson said.
The UN had warned on Aug 14 that thousands of families already enduring appalling humanitarian conditions could be pushed over the edge if the Gaza City plan moves ahead.
Palestinian and UN officials have said no place in the enclave is safe, including areas in southern Gaza where Israel has been ordering residents to move to.
The Israeli military declined to comment when asked whether the shelter equipment was intended for Gaza City’s population, estimated at around one million people presently, and whether the site to which they will be relocated in southern Gaza would be the area of Rafah, which borders Egypt.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Aug 16 that the plans for the new offensive were still being formulated.
The Palestinian militant faction Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, said that the military’s announcement “as part of its brutal attack to occupy Gaza City, is a blatant and brazen mockery of international conventions”.
Despite this, Israeli forces have already increased operations on the outskirts of Gaza City over the past week.
Residents in the neighbourhoods of Zeitoun and Shejaia have reported heavy Israeli aerial and tank fire, which has destroyed many houses.
The Israeli military on Aug 15 said that it had begun a new operation in Zeitoun to locate explosives, destroy tunnels and kill militants in the area.
The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel
Twenty of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are reportedly still alive.
Israel’s subsequent military assault against Hamas has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians,
Protests calling for a hostage release and an end to the war were expected throughout Israel on Aug 17, with many businesses, municipalities and universities saying they will support employees striking for the day.
Negotiations to secure a US-backed 60-day ceasefire and hostage release ended in deadlock in July and mediators Egypt and Qatar have been trying to revive them. REUTERS
