Great destruction in Gaza, great exile

The Israeli army, which is expected to launch a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, deployed its tanks to the border and asked more than a million civilians in central Gaza to head south within 24 hours.

The United Nations (UN) stated that it is impossible to get everyone out while power outages and food and water shortages continue in the region, which has been bombed by planes for a week and under total blockade.

As Israeli warplanes continued to bomb the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas attacks over the weekend, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: “Now is the time for war.”

In attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel on Saturday, more than 1,300 people, most of them civilians, were killed and dozens of civilians were taken hostage and kidnapped in Gaza. Following the Hamas attacks, Israel completely blockaded the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2.3 million, and heavily bombed it from the air, killing more than 1,700 Palestinians.

On the other hand, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, arrived in the region to visit Israel and some other countries.

The Israeli military said it would operate “significantly” in the coming days and that civilians could only return to the area when given further notice.

In its statement, the military said: “Gaza civilians, for your own safety and that of your families, go south and stay away from the Hamas terrorists who use you as human shields.”

“Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza, in tunnels and buildings under the homes of innocent Gazans.”

A Hamas official said the warning to Palestinians in Gaza to leave the area was “false propaganda” and called on citizens not to fall for this warning.

Despite Israeli calls to evacuate the area, there were no signs of civilians leaving central Gaza. Dozens of civilians taking refuge in the central hospital in Şifa are still waiting.

On the other hand, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) stated that “massive displacements continue” and announced that more than 400,000 people have left their homes in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians living in the southern and central Gaza Strip who are expected to leave the area said Israeli airstrikes continued last night. There has not yet been any statement from Israel on this issue.

The Israeli army announced yesterday that 750 military targets were hit in Gaza, including tunnels, military installations, homes of senior officials and weapons depots used by Hamas.

Israel’s possible ground operation also poses a great risk to the hostages Hamas has kidnapped and is currently holding in Gaza.

While the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced that the fuel for electricity generators in Gaza hospitals could soon run out, the UN World Food Program (WFP) also warned that water and food in the region have been reduced to dangerous levels. levels.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH ORGANIZATION: ISRAEL USED WHITE PHOSPHORUS BOMB

Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the Israeli army of using white phosphorus bombs in attacks on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

The white phosphorus bomb, which is not considered a chemical weapon according to international conventions because it has legal uses such as signaling, illuminating and setting fire on the battlefield, can pose a risk to the lives of civilians by causing serious burns to the skin. fur.

White phosphorus is considered an “incendiary” weapon under Protocol 3 of the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons. This protocol prohibits the use of white phosphorus bombs against military targets in civilian areas.

But since Israel did not sign this agreement, it does not consider itself bound by it.

Separately, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague announced to Reuters that Hamas attacks in Israel and Israel’s Gaza Strip fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC in terms of potential war crimes. .

Although the ICC has been investigating possible war crimes committed by Israel in the Palestinian territories since 2021, since it is not a member of the ICC, Israel does not recognize the decisions of the Hague court.

DIPLOMATIC TALKS CONTINUE IN THE REGION

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined calls for “moderation” against Israel from around the world, but reiterated US support for Israel, saying: “We will always be with you.”

Blinken met today in Jordan with Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian leader of the West Bank, as part of his tour of the Middle East, which began with the aim of preventing the spread of conflicts. Abbas declared to Blinken that he “opposes the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.”

Blinken also plans to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah today.

Blinken also plans to visit key US allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Some of the states in question have influence over the Iranian-backed armed organization Hamas.

Another high-level US official who visited Israel, Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, stated that the US military provides unconditional security assistance to Israel.

Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, head of the Israeli army, said lessons must be learned from the security vulnerabilities that allowed the attack, saying: “We will learn, we will examine, but now is the time for war.”

A Foreign Ministry source said Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met his UAE counterpart and discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Turkey, which has offered to act as a mediator in the conflict, wants to send aid to Palestinians affected by the conflict. Fidan will go to Egypt today to address the region’s problems.

In another statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkish citizens in Lebanon were advised to be cautious and, if possible, stay away from regions south of the Litani River, amid reflections of the latest developments in Israel and Palestine over Lebanon.

According to information from the media outlet Al-Mayadeen, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Emirabdullahyan met with the leader of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, Seyed Hasan Nasrullah, in Beirut and discussed Israel’s attacks on Hamas.