Thousands Evacuate Gaza Supported by Israel
By Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos
JERUSALEM/GAZA (Worthy News) – Thousands of civilians fled Northern Gaza through a corridor established by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), footage obtained by Worthy News showed Tuesday.
The video emerged after wounded civilians and foreign nationals could be seen leaving Gaza elsewhere through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
Israel and Egypt had been reluctant to allow these evacuations, citing evidence that Hamas put its wounded fighters among civilians.
The IDF said it is “again allowing the passage of Gazan civilians to the southern Strip through a humanitarian corridor open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time.”
IDF military spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged civilians to leave ahead of anticipated Israeli air strikes and actions by ground forces against Hamas, designated by Israel as a terrorist organization.
“If you care about yourself and your loved ones, head south according to our instructions,” Adraee wrote. “Rest assured that Hamas leaders have already taken care of defending themselves.”
The social media appeal came as residents were pulled from the rubble after explosions in the southern Gazan cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, Palestinian officials said.
Following the IDF spokesman’s release of the video showing the Gaza residents’ convoy moving south, several prominent Palestinian channels shared it. In response, the Hamas Information Bureau urgently called for the removal of the video from Palestinian channels, branding it as psychological warfare employed by the IDF spokesman against the Palestinian population.
Israel has distributed over 1.5 million pamphlets, placed nearly 20,000 phone calls, sent around 4.5 million text messages, and made close to 6 million pre-recorded calls, all aimed at encouraging residents in northern Gaza to evacuate.
ISRAELI STRIKES
The Hamas-run health ministry said at least 23 people were killed in two separate “Israeli air strikes” in the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis.
However the IDF said it was targeting Hamas fighters and that Israeli reservists and combat soldiers “uncovered and destroyed underground tunnels” beneath a home “in a civilian area of Beit Hanun, on the northeast edge of the Strip.”
One of the reservists who took part in the operation was the nephew of former Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council head Ofir Libstein, “who was one of the first victims of the October 7 massacre” by Hamas, IDF added.
Further north in Gaza City, a journalist and 42 members of his family were killed by an Israeli air strike, his news agency said.
The Palestinian agency Wafa says Mohammad Abu Hasira died near the fisherman’s port to the west of the city.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, there have been 37 journalists and media workers killed in Israel and Gaza since the conflict began four weeks ago.
In Israel, people across the country are marking one month since the Hamas attacks on October 7 that killed 1,400 people.
ISRAELI HOSTAGES
Hamas still has more than 200 hostages, Israel’s government said, adding that former ambassador Alon Roth-Snir was appointed as coordinator of international efforts for the release of hostages in Gaza.
Israel says the Hamas killings and kidnappings prompted its military actions, but it stresses that it’s targeting Hamas infrastructure and “minimizing civilian deaths.”
The Hamas-run health ministry claimed Tuesday that more than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including more than 4,100 children. Those figures have been complex to verify independently, and it was unclear how many Hamas fighters were among the dead.
A World Health Organization spokesperson said on Tuesday that among those killed were 160 healthcare workers while on duty in Gaza.
Christian Lindmeier also called for a lifting of restrictions on medical aid, saying some doctors were performing operations, including amputations, without anesthetic.
“Over 160 of the healthcare workers have died on duty while taking care of those injured and diseased. These are the people keeping the health system going through the dedication they have somehow found a way to keep some level of service going,” Lindmeier told reporters without citing the source of information.
Israel has accused Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid and fuel for its fighters and to launch rockets.
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