Roughly one in four residents of Gaza City has evacuated, ahead of an Israeli assault on the last Hamas strongholds in the territory, according to estimates by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The Times of Israel reports:
Tens of thousands more Palestinians evacuated Gaza City over the past day, the Israeli military said on Saturday afternoon, bringing the total number of those who left the area in recent weeks to around 280,000, according to Israel Defense Forces estimates.
Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency, however, reported a much lower figure, saying fewer than 70,000 had managed to leave.
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Around one million Palestinians were estimated to be residing in Gaza City before the IDF began to prepare for its major offensive aimed at conquering the major city and defeating the remaining Hamas fighters and infrastructure in the area.
The civilians are evacuating to humanitarian areas established by the IDF in southern Gaza. Israel hopes to avoid civilian casualties as it carries out its operations against a deeply entrenched terrorist enemy.
The IDF plans to destroy what is left of Hamas so that it can take full control of the Gaza Strip. It hopes to rescue the remaining 48 Israeli hostages — 20 of whom are living — though their lives are very much at risk.
The operation, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots II,” is also taking place against the backdrop of intense global pressure. Several western states will join a conference in New York — on the Jewish Near Year — aimed at declaring Palestinian statehood. Meanwhile, Arab states are meeting to denounce Israel’s attack on Hamas officials who have taken shelter in Doha, Qatar, from whence they have directed the war, and negotiations.
Talks over the release of hostages, and a ceasefire, broke down over Hamas’s refusal to disarm and leave power — core war aims of Israel, which wants to prevent any repeat of the October 7, 2023, terror attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have cut the proverbial Gordian Knot by deciding that if Hamas will not leave power voluntarily, Israel will remove it — and strike its leaders wherever they hide.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Israel to discuss next steps — and to convey, at least superficially, American opposition to the Israeli strike on Qatar, which is considered a U.S. ally, despite its support for terror.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Zionist Conspiracy Wants You, now available on Amazon. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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