Israel starts ground offensive in Gaza; thousands flee
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Credits: AP.
Jerusalem: The Israeli military began its ground offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, slowly closing in on the Palestinian territory's largest city, where block after block has already been destroyed in the Israel-Hamas war. Thousands of people streamed out in vehicles laden with their belongings, but hundreds of thousands more remain, the Associated Press writes.
The operation marks yet another escalation in a conflict that has roiled the Middle East for nearly two years and likely pushes any ceasefire farther out of reach. The military wouldn't offer a timeline for the offensive, which it says aims to “destroy Hamas' military infrastructure,” but Israeli media suggested it could take months.
It began the same day that independent experts commissioned by the United Nations' Human Rights Council accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel fiercely rejected the allegation, calling the experts' report “distorted and false.” Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz declared that “Gaza is burning” as the operation began, and heavy bombardment battered the city overnight and into the morning.
Long lines of cars and trucks strapped with mattresses and other belongings stretched down Gaza's coastal road, as people fled the city. Some crowded on top of vehicles, while others made their way on foot.
An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military guidelines, said that the “main phase” of the Gaza City operation had begun, with troops moving in from the city's outskirts toward its centre. Airstrikes have pounded Gaza City for some time in the lead-up to the operation, knocking down towers in the city.
An estimated 1 million Palestinians were living in the Gaza City region before warnings to evacuate began ahead of the offensive, and the Israeli military estimates 350,000 people have left the city.
Palestinian residents reported heavy strikes across Gaza City on Tuesday morning.
By noon, the city's Shifa Hospital had received the bodies of 34 people killed in the strikes, said Dr. Rami Mhanna, a hospital official. Dozens of wounded had also come into the facility, he said.