Dozens of families in northern Gaza packed their belongings and fled once again this Sunday (6) after a warning from the Israeli army of a new ground operation against Hamas in the Jabalya area.
“People left their homes this morning, and they don’t know where to go, carrying a few simple belongings. There are no means of transportation,” said Abu Alaa Asaf, a resident of Beit Lahiya.
The Israeli military called on Palestinian residents to evacuate areas in the north, home to Gaza’s largest refugee camp, before announcing that two Israel Defense Forces (IDF) brigades had surrounded Jabalya to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its operational capabilities.
Before that, airstrikes were carried out, hitting “dozens of military targets,” the Israeli army said. Hamas’ military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, said on Saturday (5) that it was involved in “fierce fighting” with Israeli forces in northern Gaza.
“We heard the sounds of explosions all night long, as if the war had started today,” Asaf said.
Ismail Zaida, a resident of the northern neighborhood of Sheikh Radwan, saw “hundreds” of people fleeing towards Gaza City, also in northern Gaza.
Some northern residents are refusing to move to Al-Mawasi, an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in the south. Last month, Israel attacked the area, killing at least 19 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
“People would rather die at home than be humiliated here and there,” said Zaida.
“Where are we going? From one death to another? Death is everywhere, whether in the south or in the north,” said Zaida.
Understand the conflict in the Gaza Strip
Israel carries out intense airstrikes in the Gaza Strip since last year, after the Hamas invaded the country and killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli counts. Furthermore, the radical group holds dozens of hostages.
Hamas does not recognize Israel as a state and claims Israeli territory for Palestine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly promised to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and recover people detained in Gaza.
In addition to the air offensive, the Israeli army makes land incursions in Palestinian territory. This caused much of Gaza’s population to be displaced. The UN and several humanitarian institutions have warned of a catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Stripwith a lack of food, medicine and the spread of diseases.
After about a year of the conflict, the Israeli population took to the streets in protests against Netanyahuaccusing the prime minister of failing to reach a ceasefire agreement so the hostages could be released.
This content was originally published in Hundreds of people flee northern Gaza as Israel prepares new offensive on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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