The UN’s humanitarian aid chief said the humanitarian situation “is fast becoming untenable.”
The war between Israel and Hamas is intensifying — and many civilians are caught in the middle of the deadly conflict. After Israel warned people in northern Gaza to evacuate on Friday, residents have been struggling to flee in search of safety, with some worrying it could lead to even more widespread problems.
Several United Nations agencies have said this kind of mass evacuation will lead to disaster, because it could leave behind vulnerable populations, such as the sick and elderly. To make matters worse, people in Southern Gaza haven’t had access to electricity and food since Oct. 10, though Israeli officials say water has recently been restored to the area.
Conditions in Gaza have rapidly deteriorated since Israel and Egypt imposed a land, air, and sea blockade following Hamas’ takeover 16 years ago. (Both countries have defended the blockade, with Israeli officials maintaining that it’s necessary to prevent militant attacks.) The United Nations reported that more than 80 percent of Gazans live in poverty, even before recent violence broke out.
This comes as the Israel Defense Forces prepares for a ground invasion, though it’s currently unclear when exactly that’ll begin. Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Sunday that troops are “in formation” to strike Gaza City. In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of what we know so far.
What’s happening in Gaza?
Israel issued an evacuation advisory to about 1.1 million people to move to southern Gaza within 24 hours. The World Health Organization condemned it, warning that it could “worsen the current humanitarian and public health catastrophe.”
On Saturday, the leader of Hamas was defiant of the evacuation order, and according to reports, was stopping Americans from leaving Gaza through the Rafah crossing to Egypt, and several Gaza residents told CNN that they were turned away when they tried to leave via the crossing.
Though Israeli officials said it wouldn’t target certain routes, Palestinian authorities have accused Israel of striking a convoy of civilians, including women and children, that was moving south. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 70 people were killed, mostly women and children, as they tried to evacuate. At least 2,670 Gazans have been killed and 9,600 others have been injured so far in retaliatory airstrikes after Hamas’ terror attack.
For others, leaving is not possible. Hospitals in Gaza City have warned they have no way of evacuating thousands of sick and wounded patients due in part to the lack of ambulances. On Saturday, the World Health Organization condemned Israel’s order to evacuate, saying doing so “could be tantamount to a death sentence” for the more than 2,000 patients in northern hospitals.
WHO and other aid groups have tried to send medical supplies, but the only remaining pathway between Gaza and Egypt has been blocked since Tuesday due to Israeli airstrikes. The U.S. has since negotiated with Egypt, and officials say it will re-open at 2 a.m. local time.
“We’re putting in place — with the United Nations, with Egypt, with Israel, with others — the mechanism by which to get the assistance in and to get it to the people who need it,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
When is Israel planning to attack Gaza?
The Israeli military announced that troops were preparing to invade Gaza to put an end to Hamas rule there once and for all, but did not indicate when that would start.
What we do know is that troops have already started to gather at the Gaza border as they prepare for “a wide range of offensive operative plans,” which will include “an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.” According to The New York Times, it would mark the country’s biggest ground operation since its invasion of Lebanon in 2006.
Their goal is to wipe out top Hamas leadership. “Hamas thought we would be demolished. It is we who will demolish Hamas,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday. Israel’s military said Hamas’ terror attacks on Oct. 7 killed at least 1,300 people, including 29 Americans.
What’s next?
Global leaders are still trying to de-escalate the situation. U.S. and U.K. officials are reportedly privately urging Israel to show some restraint in its response to avoid further Palestinian civilian casualties. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is organizing an international conference about the war in Gaza and President Biden has been invited to take part in it.
Biden, who has expressed unwavering support, may visit Israel this week in an act of solidarity. According to Axios, Israeli officials said Netanyahu invited Biden during their phone call on Saturday, so stay tuned for more developments on that front.
