On Wednesday, thousands of Palestinians left northern Gaza, making their way through the damaged territory on foot. Israel’s increased ground and aerial operations is to blame for this escalating exodus.
Along an evacuation corridor declared by the Israel Defense Forces, Salah Eddin Street, one of Gaza’s two north-south thoroughfares, was clogged with streams of people, including women, children, the elderly, and the disabled.
A teenage girl likened the mass action to the “Nakba,” or calamity, in Arabic, which refers to the Palestinians’ forced exile from their towns during Israel’s establishment.The IDF had created an evacuation window for the sixth day running, and the number of Israelis heading south has been rising daily.
According to the UN, 15,000 had left on Tuesday after 2,000 on Sunday. According to the Israeli administration, on Wednesday, 50,000 Gazans passed through the evacuation corridor. Although the exact number could not be officially confirmed, more people were departing than on Tuesday.Israel has been stepping up its offensive inside Gaza after the bombings on October 7 that claimed 1,400 Israeli lives.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant asserted on Tuesday that IDF forces were pursuing Hamas leaders and infrastructure in the “heart of Gaza City.” It’s unclear just where Israel is engaged in combat.
“The largest bastion of horror that humanity has ever constructed is Gaza. Every inch of this city is a base of horror. Gallant stated, “They have kilometers of tunnels underneath that connect to schools and hospitals. “We’re still breaking this capability down.”After weeks of bombardment, the IDF claims to have struck 14,000 terrorist sites within the crowded confines of Gaza.
Nothing was left safe in this battle, not even churches or mosques. They dropped the pamphlet telling us to go to the supposed safe place today. Even though we have moved past this section of Wadi Gaza, the bombardment is still audible. Gaza does not have a safe area.
“There are seven families here. Our houses are all gone. Nothing remains. Nothing could be taken by us, not even clothing or water. This was a really challenging route. You are not allowed to pick up anything that falls. It is forbidden for you to go slowly. There are corpses everywhere.The 16-year-old Baraa claimed to have been walking for a considerable amount of time.
“It seemed like the Nakba [catastrophe] of 2023,” she remarked, referring to the event in Arabic that marked the exodus of Palestinians from their villages at the time Israel was founded.
“We passed dead bodies and people torn to pieces. We strolled next to tanks. When the Israelis called, they demanded that everyone remove their clothing and discard their possessions. Because there was no water, the children were quite exhausted.
Hani Bakhit remarked, “We were heavily shelled and had to evacuate our area.” Because there were no cars, fuel, or drinking water accessible, we were forced to use donkey carts. There’s nothing left for us. He said, “They (Israeli forces) forced us to leave by cutting off all available resources.”Khader Hamad stated, “People who are not involved in the resistance are being bombed, and as a result, they are escaping to the south.” “They are all women, babies, and children.”
