CTTO/Inquirer.Net
PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES — Residents of eastern Gaza City were seen fleeing under heavy bombardment on Thursday after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the area previously declared clear of Hamas militants.
The flare-up in the Shujaiya district of the northern Gaza Strip resulted in numerous casualties, according to witnesses and medics. The escalating violence has raised fears of a broader regional conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah, a Hamas ally based in Lebanon.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, currently in Washington to discuss the Gaza crisis and potential measures to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East, emphasized that Israel does not seek war. However, he warned that extensive fighting could severely impact Lebanon, sending it “back to the Stone Age.”
Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent comments that the “intense phase” of the nearly 10-month-long war was winding down, fighting continues in Gaza. Officials and medics reported that Israeli strikes overnight and early Thursday killed at least six people in northern Gaza. The Israeli military also confirmed attacks on “terrorists” in Khan Yunis in the south.
A witness in Shujaiya described the situation as “frightening” as Israeli military vehicles advanced amidst airstrikes and shelling. “Residents are running through the streets in terror… wounded and martyrs lie in the streets,” the witness told AFP.
Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, urged residents and displaced Gazans in the Shujaiya area to leave “for your safety” and head to a declared “humanitarian zone” approximately 25 kilometers (15 miles) away. An AFP photographer documented many residents leaving on foot, carrying their belongings through rubble-strewn streets.
Hamas stated that Israeli forces were initiating a ground incursion, reporting “several” deaths as “thousands flee under relentless bombing.”
Muhammad Ghurab, a doctor at Gaza City’s Al-Ahli hospital, reported receiving seven bodies, including four children, and dozens of wounded individuals as Israeli forces advanced in Shujaiya. Omar Sukar, a Shujaiya resident, described strikes occurring as Gazans collected drinking water, which has been in limited supply due to the Israeli siege.
A displaced Gazan woman expressed her devastation to AFP, saying, “We lost our children and homes, and we keep fleeing from place to another.”
The war, which began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel resulting in 1,195 deaths, mostly civilians, has seen intense retaliation from Israel. The Gaza health ministry reports at least 37,765 deaths, also mostly civilians, due to the ongoing conflict.
Despite Israel’s claim in early January of dismantling Hamas’s military framework in northern Gaza, militants have regrouped. The war and subsequent siege have led to a severe humanitarian crisis, with hospitals struggling to function and basic supplies becoming scarce, displacing the majority of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.
In a positive development, UNICEF announced an agreement with Israel to restart a power line, potentially restoring full capacity to a key water desalination plant in Khan Yunis. “This is an important milestone, and we are very much looking forward to seeing it implemented,” said Jonathan Crickx, a UNICEF spokesperson.
In a rare medical evacuation from Gaza, 21 cancer patients crossed into Egypt through the Kerem Shalom crossing. This marks the first such evacuation since the closure of the Rafah border crossing in early May.
Efforts towards a truce and a hostage release deal have yet to succeed, with Israeli protesters pressuring Netanyahu’s government to secure a deal. Thousands gathered in front of Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem on Thursday, calling for a resolution.
US officials remain hopeful that a Gaza ceasefire could reduce hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which have been exchanging fire since early October. Germany and Canada have advised their citizens in Lebanon to leave due to the escalating tensions.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing rockets at an Israeli military base and sending drones in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Lebanon, one of which killed a fighter. Israel reported intercepting most of the launches and reported no casualties.
Israel has dismissed a UN-backed report indicating that nearly half a million Gazans face “catastrophic” hunger, underscoring the dire humanitarian situation in the region.