JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel will soon delay or stop humanitarian assistance to parts of northern Gaza in order to spread attacks that try to crimp Hamas, officials said on Saturday.
An official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the media told The Associated Press that Israel would reduce the arrival of aid trucks to the north of the strip as it prepares to stop air drops in Gaza city in the coming days and evacuate hundreds of thousands of residents in the south.
Israel declared Gaza city a combat zone on Friday, calling it Hamas’s hub, claiming that a network of tunnels is in use despite previous massive attacks in the region through a nearly long 23-month war.
The shift comes weeks after Israel first announced its plans Spread the attack In a city where hundreds of thousands of people are evacuating while enduring hunger. Recently, the military has been stepping up strikes in the city’s suburbs. AP video footage on Friday showed several major explosions throughout Gaza.
The military’s announcement to resume combat comes as the death toll in Gaza rose to over 63,000. Four people were killed in Israeli shootings on Saturday while trying to receive assistance from central Gaza, according to health officials at AWDA Hospital.
It was unclear when the aid pause would begin and when the airdrop would halt completely. By Saturday there had been no airdrops across Gaza for several days. This has been a break from almost daily drops over the past few weeks.
Israeli forces did not respond to requests for comment on how they would provide assistance to the Airdrop and Palestinians when Israel intensified the attack.
On Friday, Israeli Army spokesman Avichey Adre urged Palestinians to flee south, calling evacuation “inevitable.”
Aid groups warn that a massive evacuation in Gaza city will exacerbate the tragic humanitarian crisis.
Earlier this month, the main authority on the food crisis said Gaza city is in hunger and half a million people across the strip are facing catastrophic levels of hunger. On Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry said 10 people have been killed as a result of hunger and malnutrition over the past 24 hours, including three children.
“This kind of evacuation will lead to large population migration that the Gaza Strip region cannot absorb, given the widespread destruction of private infrastructure and the extreme shortage of food, water, shelters and healthcare.”
She said it is impossible to carry out a massive evacuation of Gaza city in a safe and dignified way.
Hundreds of residents are beginning to leave Gaza city, stacking the remaining few possessions on pickup trucks and donkey carts. There are many people I was forced to leave their home Multiple times.
The United Nations said Thursday that 23,000 people have been evacuated this week, but many in Gaza City say there is no safe place. Others who were kicked out to the south are worried that the area will not be able to support the influx of people.
“There is no food, and you don’t even get water. It’s not safe to drink if available,” Amar Zayed said, waiting for food from the charity kitchen in Deia Al Bala in the southern city.
“It’s the movement of residents that makes the situation worse… With more displaced people, the suffering gets worse,” he said.
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Shurafa reported from Deial Bhara in the Gaza Strip.
