Israel Extended Gaza Evacuation Period By One Hour
Today, for the fifth consecutive day, Israel allowed an evacuation route for those fleeing Gaza. It opened the path for an extra hour for people fleeing to the South.
On X, Israel’s military of Defence, Cogat, posted that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) “extended the evacuation corridor by an extra hour, until 15:00 today [13:00 GMT], allowing many more Gazans to move south for their safety.”
Israel called people using the route “a substantial response.”
Those seeking shelter from the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City have been using the evacuation corridor, traveling to what the IDF claimed is a southern “safe area.”
The route is on the Salah al-Din Road, Gaza’s main highway, over 45 km long.
The UN Condemns Israeli Air Strikes
The UN said that yesterday’s evacuee total was 15,000. However, people in the hundreds of thousands reportedly remain in the Northern Gaza Strip area.
UN leaders have spoken up again today, condemning Israel’s attacks. UN Secretary-General António Guterres told Reuters Next that Israel’s attacks on Gaza don’t help its “global public opinion.”
He said, “There are violations by Hamas when they have human shields. But when one looks at the number of civilians that were killed with the military operations, there is something that is clearly wrong.
“It is also important to make Israel understand that it is against the interests of Israel to see every day the terrible image of the dramatic humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people. That doesn’t help Israel in relation to the global public opinion.”
Refugee Amira al-Sakani told AFP while holding one of her young children that she had escaped Gaza after finding airdropped Israeli fliers. She said, “Our life is tragic.” Adding, “We don’t want war. We want peace.”
A senior advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the BBC earlier today that they are working on establishing a “safe humanitarian zone.”
The advisor, Mark Regev, said, “Along the coast, along the Mediterranean, where there isn’t Hamas infrastructure… we’re talking about establishing a humanitarian safe zone with field hospitals.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, said that the IDF is “tightening the chokehold” around Gaza City’s center.
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