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IOF never said won't bomb south Gaza, but Palestinians must move there

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Nov 2023 11:44
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The Israeli occupation army spokesperson says that while bombing the south was never ruled out, the main focus of the aggression will remain on northern Gaza.

Palestinians inspect the rubble of the West Mosque destroyed after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike at al-Shati' refugee camp in Gaza City on Monday, October 9, 2023 (AP)

The Israeli occupation army never ruled out bombing southern Gaza, rather it stated that the focus of the aggression will be on the northern part of the Strip, spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said on Saturday.

"At no stage have we said that we are not going to strike in southern Gaza. There may be cases where we will strike military targets of importance in Gaza … [We said] only that we are focusing our main combat activity, our main operations in the north. I think it is very clear, very evident for everybody watching," Conricus told reporters.

Earlier last week, Israelis unilaterally designated a number of routes, dubbed by the occupation entity as "safe corridors", that will allow Palestinians in the north to move to southern Gaza for a few hours every day.

This comes as Washington reaffirmed that it currently opposes a ceasefire and promotes instead a vague "tactical humanitarian pause" without offering any serious details regarding the plan.

However, Israeli warplanes repeatedly bombed the forcefully displaced civilians that took these roads to head south, resulting in tens of martyrs, knowing that the bodies of many of them remain on the streets after Israelis prevented ambulances from reaching them.

As opposed to Israeli claims, the Palestinian Health Ministry described the routes as "death corridors".

Conricus reiterated the ultimatum given earlier to Palestinians that if they want access to water, food, and medical supplies, they must head south.

Commenting on the Israeli claims that it is opening routes so that Palestinians can move to "safer places in the south," the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said that these demands are "very alarming".

"Demands for civilians to relocate to an Israeli Defence Force designated 'safe zone' are also very alarming. A so-called 'safe zone,' when established unilaterally, can heighten risks to civilians, and raises real questions as to whether security can be guaranteed in practice," he warned.

"At the moment, nowhere in Gaza is safe, as bombardments are being reported in all parts of the Strip. It also needs to be absolutely clear that civilians are protected under international law wherever they are."

Further challenging Israeli claims, Palestinian media reporting on the ground confirmed that a significant number of residents of northern Gaza refused to leave under Israeli orders and chose to remain in their homes even as Israeli warplanes continue to bomb their neighborhoods in an attempt to displace them.

Over 500 trucks carrying products and supplies used to enter Gaza on a daily basis prior to the Israeli aggression. However, "Israel" now only approves the passage of roughly 100 trucks, all of which are prohibited from moving to the northern region or being delivered to hospitals.

This comes as the Israeli intensified blockade on Gaza enters its seventh week, which has resulted in the collapse of the health sector and the spread of famine due to the lack of food and infectious diseases as bodies of martyrs pile up with no resources to retrieve many of them. Meanwhile, the lack of fuel left hospitals unable to treat the majority of the wounded, leading to many of them being martyred.

Friday saw the most aggressive Israeli assault on hospitals across Gaza, mainly Al-Shifa Medical Complex. To summarize the situation, the complex's director wrote, "Today was a day of war on hospitals."

Describing the crisis faced by hospitals due to the blockade, Muhammad Abu Salmiya said the situation was "tragic in every sense of the word," emphasizing that medical teams are unable to perform surgical operations. The responsibility for the patients and the wounded at Al-Shifa Hospital was placed on the world as a whole.

Meanwhile, Israelis have been targeting the courtyard of the complex since Friday evening, leaving tens of martyrs on the ground that medical personnel are unable to reach due to the Israelis targeting "anything that moves," as per the medical crews inside the health facility. Additionally, a mass grave was dug inside Al-Shifa Complex to bury 100 people, after burying them was rendered impossible by the continuous Israeli shelling in the vicinity of the hospital.

In its most recent report on Friday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that the number of Palestinians martyred due to the ongoing Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip exceeded 11,000, including at least 4,506 children.