Israel urges civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate

CNA Staff, Oct 13, 2023 / 11:32 am (CNA).

The Israeli government on Friday urged civilians to evacuate the northern part of Gaza amid its war against the terror group Hamas.

In an “important message” posted to its X account on Friday, the government “call[ed] on civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate the area and head towards the southern area of the Gaza Strip.” The United Nations said Thursday that the affected population “amounts to approximately 1.1 million people.”

“Our fight is not with them,” the post said. “It is with the barbaric Hamas terrorist organization and we are trying to prevent civilian casualties and to keep innocents out of harm’s way.”

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also posted on X on Friday that it was “calling for the evacuation of all civilians of Gaza City from their homes southward for their own safety and protection.” Gaza City is located in the northern portion of the country.

Hamas “is telling Gaza residents to ignore our safety instructions,” the IDF said in its post.

In its Thursday report, the U.N. warned that it was “impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.” The organization said it was urging Israel to rescind the order to avoid bringing about “a calamitous situation.”

The Israeli military has in the past publicized what it says are its efforts in Gaza to warn civilians prior to a military strike.

On the IDF’s website, the military said that “as part of its efforts to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza, the IDF makes phone calls and sends text messages to civilians residing in buildings designated for attack.”

The Israel Air Force has likewise “dropped leaflets over Gaza” that “urge civilians to move away from Hamas targets, making clear Israel’s intention to minimize civilian casualties,” the military said.

The warnings on Friday came as Israel was deploying huge numbers of troops and equipment along the Gaza border in what is projected to be a massive ground engagement against Hamas in the coming days and weeks. In a Thursday update, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht of the IDF said Israel has deployed “over 300,000 reserve soldiers” around the country “as we prepare for a broader range of responses.”

The country has signaled its intent to carry out a major war against Hamas in retaliation for the group’s attack on Israel.

Israel quickly declared war against Hamas following the terror group’s surprise attack last Saturday, with the military deploying troops and launching rocket attacks on Hamas targets in Gaza in response. The combined death toll on both sides was nearing 3,000 late this week.

In a speech on Thursday following the swearing-in of an emergency government in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would “find these accursed murderers, these human beasts, with full force and we will defeat them. We will wipe them off the face of the earth.”

“My friends, difficult days await us but we will not be deterred and we will not give in,” the prime minister said.