Gaza Strip evacuations

Extended-protected article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ali Ahwazi (talk | contribs) at 22:44, 26 October 2023 (→‎Attacks). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The line in black represents the IDF's boundary at Wadi Gaza for evacuation.

On 13 October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces ordered all communities north of the Wadi Gaza, including Gaza City, to evacuate to the south. According to the UN, the Israeli military gave a 24 hour deadline for the evacuation, while an Israeli military spokesperson did not specify a deadline and said the IDF understood an evacuation would "take time".[1][2][3] The order came one week after a surprise offensive on Israel from Gaza was mounted by Hamas. By 14 October, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians evacuated northern Gaza.[4] Palestinians have described the depopulation of northern Gaza as the "second Nakba."[5]

Paula Gaviria Betancur, UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, condemned the forcible evacuation order as a "crime against humanity and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law."[6]

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called on Palestinians to leave the northern part of Gaza, including Gaza City, saying: "The camouflage of the terrorists is the civil population. Therefore, we need to separate them. So those who want to save their life, please go south."[7]

Background

Tensions escalated when Hamas launched an offensive on Israel. Israel responded with a series of airstrike attacks on Gaza. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) issued a warning to residents in the northern regions to evacuate. The United Nations initially considered this evacuation order impractical to execute safely due to the significant number of people it affected.[8]

Responses

UN response

In a statement, the UN warned of "devastating humanitarian consequences" of displacing 1.1 million Palestinians.[9] Shortly after the evacuation orders were issued, UN facilities, including UNRWA,[10] were instructed to move to Rafah.[1]

Hamas response

Hamas officials rejected the warning and urged those in affected areas to ignore the order and stay in their homes.[11][12] The Hamas Authority for Refugee Affairs told residents in northern Gaza to "remain steadfast in your homes and to stand firm in the face of this disgusting psychological war waged by the occupation."[13]

International organizations

Doctors Without Borders issued a statement calling the order to evacuate "outrageous" and "an attack on medical care and on humanity" and condemned the Israeli order "in the strongest possible terms."[14]

The World Health Organisation released a plea "appealing to Israel to immediately rescind orders for the evacuation of over 1 million people living north of Wadi Gaza" arguing that its extremely difficult to move patients in critical care, medical supplies are depleting and that "the four Ministry of Health hospitals in south Gaza are already beyond capacity".[15] Similar statements were issued by UNICEF and IRC.[16][17] The WHO expressed concern about the evacuation order sent to the al-Quds Hospital in Gaza.[18]

Accusations of war crime and Israeli humanitarian claims

See also: Allegations of war crimes against Israel § 2023 Israel–Hamas war

Israel's evacuation order was characterized as a forcible population transfer by Jan Egeland, the Norwegian former diplomat involved with the Oslo Accord.[19] A "forcible transfer" is the forced relocation of a civilian population as part of an organized offense against it and is considered a crime against humanity by the International Criminal Court.[20] In an interview with the BBC, Egeland stated, "There are hundreds of thousands of people fleeing for their life — [that is] not something that should be called an evacuation. It is a forcible transfer of people from all of northern Gaza, which according to the Geneva Convention is a war crime."[19] UN Special rapporteur Francesca Albanese warned of a mass ethnic cleansing in Gaza.[21] Raz Segal, an Israeli historian and director of the Holocaust and Genocide Studies program at Stockton University, termed it a "textbook case of genocide."[22]

The call for north Gaza residents to head south of the battle zone was characterized by a former Israeli officer as a "Humanitarian Exodus" to save as many lives as possible.[23] On October 15, Israel's chief military spokesman accused Hamas of trying to use civilians as human shields and issued a new appeal to Gaza residents to move south of the battle zone.[24]

On 21 October 2023, the Israeli army dropped more leaflets in Gaza with the message: "Urgent warning! To the residents of Gaza: your presence to the North of Wadi Gaza is putting your lives at risk. Anyone who chooses not to evacuate from the North of the Gaza Strip to the South of the Gaza Strip may be identified as a partner in a terrorist organization."[25][26]

Attempts of blocking Palestinian evacuation

Further information: 2023 attacks on Palestinians evacuating Gaza City

Attacks

On 13 October 2023, multiple bombings targeted Palestinians attempting to leave northern Gaza City killing 70 people, mostly women and children as coinciding with an evacuation directive from Israel, urging more than a million residents from northern Gaza to move to the southern part of the territory;[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] and 200 people were injured.[29][35][36]

Hamas issued a statement accusing Israel for bombing civilians.[37] In return, Israel directly accused Hamas of blocking Palestinian evacuation, in order to use them as "human shields".[citation needed]

The party behind the bombings is still unknown due to the nature of the explosion.[38][39]

Agitation against leaving by Hamas

On October 13, Gaza mosques broadcast messages telling Gaza Strip residents to not evacuate.[40]

Reportedly, the IDF said that as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving south, many were getting stuck in traffic caused by roadblocks that Hamas set up on Saturday, October 14th.[41]

International efforts to open humanitarian corridor

Despite international efforts to open a humanitarian corridor for civilians, there has been no success in reaching a deal. Egypt has been involved in discussions to provide humanitarian aid, but did not have any safe evacuation corridors set up as of October 11.[42]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Debre, Isabel; Lederer, Edith M.; Shurafa, Wafaa (13 October 2023). "Israel's military orders civilians to evacuate Gaza City, ahead of a feared ground offensive". AP News. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  2. ^ Falk, Pamela; Tanyos, Paris (13 October 2023). "Israeli military informs U.N. that all 1.1 million northern Gaza residents should evacuate south within 24 hours". CBS News. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  3. ^ Deng, Chao; Lubold, Gordon; AbdulKarim, Fatima (2023-10-14). "Gaza Residents Brace for Israeli Offensive After Evacuation Demand". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  4. ^ Ayyoub, Loay; George, Susannah; Brown, Cate (14 October 2023). "Hundreds of thousands flee south in Gaza after Israel orders evacuation". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  5. ^ Mhawesh, Mohammed (14 October 2023). "'A second Nakba': Echoes of 1948, as Israel orders Palestinians to leave". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Israel must rescind evacuation order for northern Gaza and comply with international law: UN expert". Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  7. ^ Fischler, Jacob (13 October 2023). "U.S. stresses support for Israel as 1 million residents of North Gaza ordered to evacuate". Colorado Newsline. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  8. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma; McKernan, Bethan; Michaelson, Ruth; McKernan, Emma Graham-Harrison Bethan (October 14, 2023). "Israeli airstrikes hit northern Gaza as Palestinians try to leave". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  9. ^ Khraiche, Dana (13 October 2023). "UN Calls Israel Order to Evacuate 1.1 Million in Gaza Impossible". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  10. ^ @UNRWA (October 13, 2023). "UNRWA relocated its central operations centre + international staff to the south to continue its humanitarian operations and support to its staff and Palestine Refugees in #Gaza We urge the Israeli Authorities to protect all civilians in @UNRWA shelters including schools" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 October 2023 – via Twitter. {{cite web}}: Check |first1= value (help)
  11. ^ "Hamas tells Gaza residents to stay home as Israel ground offensive looms". Reuters. 2023-10-13. Archived from the original on 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  12. ^ Debre, Isabel; Lederer, Edith M.; Shurafa, Wafaa (2023-10-13). "Palestinians flee northern Gaza after Israel orders 1 million to evacuate as ground attack looms". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  13. ^ "Israel's military orders civilians to evacuate Gaza City, ahead of a feared ground offensive". Washington Post. 13 October 2023. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  14. ^ "MSF: Israeli order to evacuate northern Gaza 'outrageous'". Doctors Without Borders - USA. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  15. ^ "WHO pleads for immediate reversal of Gaza evacuation order to protect health and reduce suffering". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Time is running out for children in Gaza—UNICEF". www.unicef.org. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  17. ^ "Occupied Palestinian Territory: The IRC calls for protection of civilians and upholding of International Humanitarian Law | International Rescue Committee (IRC)". www.rescue.org. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  18. ^ "WHO concerned about warnings to evacuate Al-Quds Hospital in northern Gaza Strip". The Straits Times. 21 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  19. ^ a b Srivastava, Mehul. "Gazans stream south to seek shelter from Israeli bombardment". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ^ "forcible transfer". Legal Information Institute. Cornell Law School. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  21. ^ "UN expert warns of new instance of mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, calls for immediate ceasefire". UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  22. ^ Segal, Raz. "A Textbook Case of Genocide". Jewish Currents. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Evacuation Of Gaza: Saving As Many Lives As Possible - I24NEWS". Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  24. ^ "Palestinians struggle to evacuate northern Gaza amid growing Israeli warnings of ground offensive". ABC7 Chicago. October 14, 2023. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  25. ^ "Israeli military steps up warnings to north Gaza residents, preparations for ground offensive". Politico. 21 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  26. ^ "Israel tells Gazans to move south or risk being seen as 'terrorist' partner". Reuters. 22 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  27. ^ "Southern Gaza bombed even as thousands flee after Israeli evacuation order". Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  28. ^ "Scores killed in Israeli air strikes on families fleeing northern Gaza". Middle East Eye. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  29. ^ a b "Israel-Hamas war live updates: 70 killed after convoys of evacuees in Gaza hit by Israeli airstrikes". NBC News. 14 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  30. ^ "Dozens killed while fleeing Gaza homes as Israel conducts ground raids". Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  31. ^ "Airstrikes hit Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza after Israel orders 1 million to evacuate". Los Angeles Times. 13 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  32. ^ "Dozens killed while fleeing Gaza homes as Israel conducts ground raids". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  33. ^ "Thousands flee Gaza after Israel orders mass evacuation". The Straits Times. October 14, 2023. Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  34. ^ Siddiqui, Usaid; Stepansky, Joseph; Marsi, Federica; Hatuqa, Dalia (2023-10-13). "Iran warns Israel to halt 'war crimes' in Gaza before 'it's too late'". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  35. ^ Hamas says Israeli military killed 70, injured 200 evacuees after warning to move south; From CNN’s Kareem El Damanhoury CNN, Retrieved 27 October 2023
  36. ^ Israel bombed the convoy of Gaza refugees; At least 70 people were killed and more than 200 were injured by Israeli warplanes after bombing the convoy of Gaza refugees. trt ; Retrieved 27 October 2023
  37. ^ "Israel claims Hamas is blocking Palestinians from leaving northern Gaza, as terrorists say IDF strike killed 70 refugees". LBC. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  38. ^ "One million Gazans displaced as Israel readies for ground attack". France 24. 15 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  39. ^ "Deadly strike on convoy fleeing northern Gaza". BBC News. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  40. ^ "Hamas tells Gaza residents to stay put as Israel ground offensive looms". October 13, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-15 – via www.reuters.com.
  41. ^ S.A, Telewizja Polska. "Hamas plans to use Gaza civilians as human shields during IDF attack". tvpworld.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  42. ^ Hassan, Ahmed Mohamed (October 11, 2023). "Egypt discusses Gaza aid, rejects corridors for civilians, say sources". Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-15 – via www.reuters.com.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gaza_Strip_evacuations&oldid=1182065217"