'Israel' gives ultimatum for evacuation, then intensifies bombing

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Oct 2023 09:57

The Israeli occupation attacks on Gaza on Thursday night were one of its most violent and brutal so far.

Palestinian men carrying the body of a person killed by Israeli brutal bombardment along a debris-littered street in al-Karamah neighborhood in Gaza City on October 11, 2023 (AFP)

The Israeli occupation entity said in a statement that 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza must evacuate within the next 24 hours, hinting at plans to start a much-feared ground invasion of the devastated Strip that has been under nonstop bombing since last Saturday.

Responding to the Israeli announcement, the United Nations warned that this order would be "impossible" to take place, sounding the alarm on "devastating humanitarian consequences.”

"The United Nations strongly appeals for any such order, if confirmed, to be rescinded avoiding what could transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation," the UN said in a statement.

"Tel Aviv" also told the UN that it should remove its staff working in Gaza within the same time period.

“It’s completely unprecedent,” one UN official said, according to CBS News, on condition of anonymity.

The UN evacuated a number of foreign employees from one of the hotels northwest of Gaza, Al Mayadeen's correspondent said on Friday.

This is genocide

Meanwhile, the Israeli bombing of besieged Gaza continued throughout Thursday night for the sixth consecutive day since the launching of the Palestinian Resistance Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, last Saturday morning, in response to the ongoing unbearable Israeli crimes against Palestinians.

The dark-time airstrikes were one of the most violent yet, targeting entire residential neighborhoods and buildings, leaving nothing but dust, debris, and casualties behind as the number of martyrs continues to rise horrifically.

The Palestinian Health Ministry revealed on Thursday that the total number of Palestinian martyrs in the brutal Israeli aggression has surpassed 1,500 and the wounded are now over 6,600, noting that over half of the martyrs are children and women: 447 children and 248 women.

Palestinian media said the Israeli occupation army committed at least two new massacres in Gaza last night, including two families as per the latest reports, with an initial estimated count of over 40 martyrs so far.

Continuing through the early hours of Friday, Israeli warplanes targeted neighborhoods in Gaza's central and northern provinces. The occupation army also bombed a residential building in the Beach Camp, also known as al-Shati', on the coast of Gaza. The Beach Camp is the Strip's third densely populated refugee camp.

Meanwhile, Al Mayadeen's correspondent confirmed that the occupation is further expanding the circle of fire in Gaza and intensifying airstrikes, confirming that dozens of Palestinians were martyred in the Thursday night Israeli attacks.

Al-Bureij camp, the area in which one of the massacres took place, and al-Yarmouk are being targeted continuously by Israeli artillery and warplanes.

Additionally, our reporter said violent Israeli raids targeted the Gaza port area, adding that warships were also participating in the strikes against the Strip's beaches and coast.

The Israeli occupation army destroyed entire areas in Gaza's al-Shujaiya neighborhood, including Moaz and Omar schools, as well as al-Mantar Street.

Not even drinking water

The number of forcefully displaced people in Gaza had risen by an additional 84,444 people and reached 423,378, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement sent on Friday.

As a result of the continued unprecedented Israeli aggression, "most residents in the Gaza Strip no longer have access to drinking water from service providers or domestic water through pipelines," OCHA said. "UNICEF reports some have already begun drinking seawater" in response to the lack of clean water, it added.

The agency also stressed that "health facilities are overwhelmed, medical stocks are in short supply and access to hospitals and medical care is being hindered by the ongoing hostilities and damaged roads." Furthermore, nearly 5,500 women in Gaza who are expected to give birth in the coming month are "struggling to access essential health services as healthcare workers, hospitals and clinics come under attack."

Palestinian Health Ministry Spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra told Al Mayadeen on Thursday that Gaza is only a few hours away from essential services completely shutting down, and the health sector is collapsing.

"The patients and wounded in Gaza's hospitals are laying on the floor as there are no beds in the ICU units, with patients piling up in front of the operation rooms," the health official added.

White phosphorus against Gaza, Lebanon

Late Thursday, Human Rights Watch HRW confirmed that the Israeli occupation used white phosphorus in its attacks on Gaza and Lebanon on October 10 and 11.

In a Q&A article about white phosphorus, HRW expressed concerns about the Israeli occupation's use of phosphorus in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, highlighting the serious and long-term risks it poses to civilians.

Human Rights Watch substantiated these claims with video evidence from Lebanon and Gaza, which depicted multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the occupied Palestine-Lebanon border.

Evidence from the ground, including eye witness reports from Palestinians in Gaza, and numerous photos and videos like the one below, strongly indicate apartheid Israel is using white phosphorus in heavily populated civilian areas in Gaza.#GazaUnderAttack #StopIsraeliGenocide pic.twitter.com/uBCc3mKTnG
— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) October 12, 2023