FLASH
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The Israeli military warned on September 19 that it would operate with "unprecedented force" in Gaza City, calling on residents to evacuate south and also announcing the closure of a temporary evacuation route that it had opened 48 hours earlier.
Israel's efforts to take full control of Gaza City have sparked international outrage, as the Gaza Strip has suffered extensive destruction after almost two years of war and residents are facing a humanitarian catastrophe.
The Israeli offensive also comes at a time when several Western countries, including France and Britain, are expected to recognize a Palestinian state during a United Nations summit next week.
The UN estimated in late August that nearly 1 million people lived in Gaza City and the surrounding areas. Israel says hundreds of thousands of them have fled the city, which is the largest in the Gaza Strip.
In a post on X addressed to Gaza City residents, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said: “From this moment on, the Salah al-Din road is closed to southbound traffic. The Israeli military will continue to operate with unprecedented force against Hamas [the Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union] and against other terrorist organizations.”
He added that the only road to the south was Al-Rashid and called on residents "to seize this opportunity and join the hundreds of thousands of city residents who have been displaced south to the humanitarian zone."
Israel announced on Wednesday that it would open a new “temporary” route that Gaza City residents could use to leave. The route opened after Israel launched a ground offensive and massive bombardment of Gaza City.
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, and its launch came after the United Nations accused the state of committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip. A UN investigation found that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials had instigated the crime.
Israel rejected the findings and called them "false."
The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, according to the enclave's Health Ministry - figures considered reliable by the UN. /REL/
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