Interaction Blackout as Israeli Forces Advance on Gaza City
The World Health Organisation has warned that hospitals in Gaza are overwhelmed and on the brink of collapse, accusing Israel of preventing the delivery of essential life-saving supplies.
As Israeli military operations intensify, phone and internet lines have been cut in gaza City, coinciding with the advance of Israeli tanks. The Israeli military is urging gaza City residents to evacuate southwards to a designated “humanitarian zone,” but aid agencies report conditions there are severely lacking in food, medicine, shelter, and space.
Israel states that over 450,000 residents of Gaza City have fled south to avoid the fighting, representing more than half of the city’s pre-assault population of almost one million. However, evacuation has become financially prohibitive for many, with lorry drivers charging families upwards of €1,500 for transport to central Gaza – a sum beyond the reach of most families. Even basic shelter in the south now costs approximately €1,000.
An Israeli security source indicated that the mass displacement is strategically intended to undermine Hamas‘s control, stating, “Once more than half a million Palestinians have evacuated, criticism of the Hamas leadership will intensify to the point where signs of its collapse may begin to appear.”
Reports from Haaretz newspaper indicate the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are increasingly utilizing local Gaza clans – extended family-based militias – in their fight against Hamas, paying them for their assistance, particularly in the Rafah and Khan Younis areas.
Controversial statements from Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, suggest potential post-war plans for the Gaza strip. Addressing a conference in Tel Aviv, Smotrich stated he is in discussions with the US regarding the division of the territory, saying, “We’ve done the demolition phase … Now we need to build.”
In a separate incident, two Israelis were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack at the Allenby crossing between the West Bank and Jordan. The attacker, identified as a Jordanian driving a humanitarian aid truck destined for Gaza, opened fire before the vehicle could be inspected. The crossing has been closed following the attack.
– Additional reporting: Reuters.
