Israel’s demand for Gaza evacuation will lead to deaths, experts warn
As part of its ongoing conflict with Hamas, Israel has issued a warning for 1.1 million people to leave northern Gaza. The United Nations says such a rapid mass evacuation is impossible without “devastating humanitarian consequences”
By Matthew Sparkes
13 October 2023
Palestinians fleeing Gaza City on 13 October
MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty
Israel’s demands for the rapid mass evacuation of over a million people from the northern part of the Gaza Strip is an “insurmountable” challenge that will result in a lack of adequate healthcare and inevitably lead to deaths, experts have warned.
On 7 October, Hamas militants from Gaza invaded Israel, capturing and killing citizens and soldiers. In retaliation, Israel has bombed the territory, and on 13 October issued a warning that 1.1 million people north of the Wadi Gaza river – almost half of the region’s population – must evacuate to the south within 24 hours for “safety and protection”.
This rapid evacuation of such a large number of people, and subsequent overcrowding in the south in what is already considered one of the world’s most densely populated regions, is likely to cause a humanitarian disaster, say experts.
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Israel claims that the evacuation is necessary to separate civilians from the Hamas militants who have staged sustained attacks against Israelis. Gaza’s health ministry has said that retaliatory strikes by Israel have killed more than 1500 people.
The UN has urged that the evacuation order be rescinded, with spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric saying in a statement: “The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.”
Whether Israel expects a full evacuation within 24 hours is unclear. “This is a war zone, we are trying to provide them the time and we are doing a lot of effort, and we understand it won’t take 24 hours,” Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari told the BBC.
