A million Palestinians must flee – Israeli army spokesman tells Blick: “If Hamas uses Palestinians as a protective shield, that’s their business”

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Following Hamas’s attacks on Israel, a humanitarian catastrophe is looming in the densely populated Gaza Strip. To free the approximately 150 hostages that Islamist terrorists kidnapped during the invasion of Israel and to destroy Hamas, the Israeli army apparently plans to storm the north of the Gaza Strip with ground troops. It is done with tens of thousands of soldiers at the border with the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) call for residents of the north to leave the southern region within 24 hours signals an invasion. Thursday evening’s appeal is addressed to 1.1 million people in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2.3 million.

The IDF is targeting the capital Gaza City, where Hamas’s headquarters are located. Since taking control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, it has built an extensive tunnel system. The underground passages are now estimated to be approximately 300 miles (480 kilometers) long. They serve as a hiding place for Hamas, for arms smuggling and for crossing the border with Israel unnoticed. They are one of the IDF’s main targets.

Hamas stops refugees

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric (58) expects a drama after the Israeli evacuation call: “I think it is impossible that such a movement can take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.” There is already a precarious situation after Israel closed the border with the Gaza Strip, halting the import of essential goods and electricity. Gaza’s only power station ran out of fuel on Wednesday.

The situation is likely to worsen after Hamas described the call to flee as “Israeli propaganda” and stopped residents from leaving the north. Eyewitnesses in the Gaza Strip reported that several residents had already been stopped by Hamas and ordered to return to the north. In general, there is great panic in the area and there are no clear instructions.

Safe escape “not pleasant”

How does Israel plan to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe? When asked, army spokesman Arye Sharuz Shalicar (46) told Blick: “We act with great perseverance to find the terrorists and, if possible, not to injure civilians.” There are more than 20,000 armed Hamas fighters. “We will track them all down,” Shalicar said.

For the civilian population, the escape to the south is certainly “not pleasant,” Shalicar continues. “But Palestinians cannot avoid having to endure a lower standard of living, just as millions of Israelis had to be evacuated because of Hamas’ aggression.”

It is up to the Palestinian leadership itself to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, Shalicar says. “We have made the call to evacuate the north so that there are as few civilian casualties as possible. If Hamas does not let its own people leave and uses them as a shield, that is their business.” He emphasizes that the Israeli army is solely responsible for the Israeli population and the hostages.

No alternative

Israel had already tried to break the back of Hamas with a ground offensive in 2008/2009. During Operation “Cast Lead”, approximately 20,000 soldiers entered the strip with hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles. Thirteen Israeli soldiers and more than 1,400 Palestinians were killed in the fierce street fighting. The offensive, which lasted almost a month, ended in a ceasefire.

Experts expect that a renewed ground battle in the densely populated Gaza Strip will cause many casualties on both sides. A Palestinian who witnessed a rocket attack on the Jabaliya refugee camp that killed 45 people told the AP: “We cannot escape because wherever you go you will be bombed. It will take a miracle to survive here.”

Source: Blick