UN says order affecting 1.1 million people will spark ‘devastating humanitarian consequences’ amid likely Israeli ground assault
Hamas has called on Palestinians to stay in their homes after Israel issued sweeping evacuation orders for almost half of Gaza’s more than 2.3 million people ahead of an expected ground offensive.
The Hamas authority for refugee affairs today told residents in the north of the territory to “remain steadfast in your homes and to stand firm in the face of this disgusting psychological war waged by the occupation”.
Translation: "If all the civilians leave, we won't be able to use them as human shields anymore."
Edit: It's also true that Israel has made it extraordinarily difficult to leave. They are not the good guys, here. But there are no good guys here except for the civilians, and we know Hamas is a terrorist organization that is perfectly willing to use them as human shields.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, and Israel just told them to fit in half as much space at a time when they have no fuel, water, or electricity.
It's fucking impossible. And if they actually move, the Palestinians are smart enough to know they will never be able to access that land again.
Hell, Hamas is the only ones with the resources to move
You think Israel will just stop and leave the Southern half?
Even if they did, they're keeping the northern part and annexing it.
But more likely they'll be invading the southern half immediately after taking the north.
They can't even leave Gaza, because Israel is attacking the exit to Egypt.
Stop acting like them moving is in any way a valid option. They are literally fucked no matter what they do. And it's been like this for a long long time.
You think Israel will just stop and leave the Southern half?
Even if they did, they're keeping the northern part and annexing it.
I'm opposed to what Israel is doing but the truth is that Israel has repeatedly given back land they have captured during conflicts. So yes, they will not be annexing any land. As well, there is way too much international attention on them right now, whereas their approach of taking tiny bites has been subtle enough to avoid causing repercussions, so they most likely just go back to doing that at a later date.
The thing I don't understand about this invasion is what's stopping Hamas from just relocating south with the rest of the Palestinians? Sure they'll lose some heavier equipment that might be hard to move but they don't have that much of it to begin with. If they stay and fight they'll lose the equipment anyways, and only end up getting killed. Whereas if they leave with the civilians, then Israel will look stupid after invading Gaza only to find nothing. Huge failure for them.
After creating a country by a series of escalating bombings of civilian targets, executions of political enemies, executions of religious enemies and you know, stabbings like the current Israelis screech about constantly and use as an excuse to level buildings.
Never claimed otherwise. In fact, I literally mentioned Israel stealing land when I wrote:
their approach of taking tiny bites has been subtle enough to avoid causing repercussions, so they most likely just go back to doing that at a later date.
I think you get all of the information about the reality of this war from headlines and mainstream Western outlets.
Tell you what, why don't your layout your excavation plan? I would strongly recommend you do at least some light reading about the reality on the ground first.
I find BBC's coverage quite impartial, even though a lot of their human side of the stories is from Israel.
There are also plenty Of Western media outlets who are trying to depict both points of view in this conflict which is admirable, but I presume the media in the US is more opinionated.
I also think what Hamas did was horrendous, but I know that the answer of Israel is not the solution either, and it is a pity just because politics and religion so many innocents from both sides have to suffer.
I'm sorry, but parroting the IDF is not credible. Especially considering we've already had reports in the last several days of these IDF evacuation routes being bombed by the IDF.
So either go read up on the realities of Gaza, or GTFO with your idiotic takes.
Yes, but that's only the convenient half for the pro-Israeli media.
The inconvenient other half is that they have blocked EVERY possible exit from Gaza, including telling the Egyptians to not allow anyone out.
So, no food, fuel, electricity, medicine, water, or shelters. One of the MOST densely populated regions in the whole world, and they were just expected to what? Walk down the strip to sit in the 'safe' bombed out rubble?
Would they be allowed a "right of return" afterwards?
No good options for those residents. So you can use this to rightfully condem Hamas because it suits their political objectives, but that doesn't change the fact about the rest of what I've laid out.
So what would you do? Stay in your home and risk death? Or become homeless and only have a marginally less chance of death?
That’s exactly what I keep thinking about, to hell with what the controlling forces say, the two options in front of those residents aren’t really options. I can’t wrap my head around what that must be like.
Question: is it actually true that Israel doesn't want Palestinians to leave via the southern border to Egypt? I've heard on the news twice (BBC Hardtalk and somewhere else I can't recall now) that the opposite is true. From what I've heard, Israel wants the Palestinians to leave, but Egypt does not want to allow them into their country because it would be a huge burden to feed, house, and police a million+ angry refugees.
It also makes more sense from Israel's point of view to get the Palestinians out of Gaza. Israel's greatest danger is, and always has been, the opprobrium of the international community if they kill too many civilians. It would be a huge victory for Israel if the civilians all leave, which is why Hamas wants them to stay!
Egypt wants to, but Israel keeps bombing the Palestinian side of the border and won't agree to letting Egyptian aid in to clear it so people can escape from Israels attacks.
Israel just want all Palestinian land, no matter how. If they leave, great. If they're all dead, fine. All they care about is the land. Of course Israel would prefer them to just leave and not be their issue anymore, but they caused the issue driving Palestinians into Gaza in the first place, and could just as easily let them out again.
Israel keeps saying it's open, but bombed it three times in 24 hrs too...
Israel on Tuesday dropped bombs next to the only border crossing allowing civilians to flee Gaza after the Israeli military directed Palestinians, looking to escape air strikes in the war against Hamas, toward the crossing.
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an IDF spokesman, urged Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt early Tuesday, with the Times of Israel reporting he said: "Rafah crossing is still open. Anyone who can get out, I would advise them to get out."
This airstrike was the third Israeli attack on the crossing in the last 24 hours and consisted of four missiles, Al Jazeera reported, citing officials from the local Egyptian group, Sinai for Human Rights.
So the crossing is open on the Egypt side, but complete rubble and inaccessible on the Palestinian side
The Egyptian side of the crossing is open, but the Palestinian side is “non-functional” following multiple Israeli airstrikes earlier this week, a senior Jordanian official told CNN Thursday, adding that “the Jordanians and Egyptians are waiting for security clearance from the Israelis to allow (aid) trucks to cross without threat of another airstrike.”
The inconvenient other half is that they have blocked EVERY possible exit from Gaza, including telling the Egyptians to not allow anyone out.
Er... that's not true. They were initially telling Palestinians to go to Egypt. Egypt does not want them in the Sinai and told Israel to provide safe passage through Israel.
It seems like the airstrikes damaging the crossing is a more recent development that I wasn't aware of. Your CBC article and the CNN article posted above are only an hour old. Your Times of Israel article says this:
The Rafah crossing was open for periods Tuesday morning, but Egypt only allowed through Palestinians who’d already gotten authorization to leave the Strip.
On the Rafah crossing’s Facebook page, Gazans lamented the decision to not open the crossing for anyone wishing to leave, with one user writing: “Interior Ministry, this is not the time to put someone in danger who survived a bombing and miraculously reached the crossing. We cannot return to death.”
Israeli translation: if you don't get the fuck out so we can capture and resettle half your city we are more than happy, to commit mass murder instead.