Israel forcibly displaces 250,000 Palestinians from northern Gaza's Jabalia: Report
Plan supposedly to ‘prevent Palestinian fighters from returning to underground and above-ground infrastructure,� unnamed security officials tell Walla news site
- Displaced sent to so-called ‘humanitarian zones’ where Israel has conducted deadly strikes that have killed hundreds of civilians in recent months
JERUSALEM/ANKARA
The Israeli army has forcibly displaced more than 250,000 Palestinians from the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip to so-called "humanitarian zones," according to a report Friday by the Hebrew news site, Walla.
The outlet cited unnamed security officials who said the mass displacement, part of the military's "Gideon's Chariots" operation, is to "prevent Palestinian fighters from returning to underground and above-ground infrastructure."
While Walla did not specify the "humanitarian zone" locations, Israel previously designated coastal areas between Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah as those places, despite carrying out deadly strikes there that killed hundreds of displaced civilians in recent months.
The report suggested the army's operation could last months, with plans for the "complete evacuation of Gaza's population from combat zones to southern areas" while maintaining permanent military occupation of captured territories.
Israeli media, including the Haaretz newspaper, revealed a plan on May 22 to take control of 75% of Gaza in the next two months.
Many Palestinians had forcibly left areas in northern Gaza toward Gaza City's western areas, according to Anadolu reporting, where the Israeli army is intensifying deadly attacks, and banning the entry of aid to northern Gaza, exacerbating famine risks.
Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 54,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine for the enclave's more than 2 million residents.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
