Palestinians struggle to flee Gaza following evacuation order from Israel

Millions of Palestinians are struggling to flee Gaza, amid continuing aerial strikes and Israeli calls for a mass exodus of the besieged territory. A worsening humanitarian crisis is manifesting in the territory as clean water, food, fuel, medical supplies and electricity run short and hundreds of thousands of people flee south.

Hamas' attack on the Super Nova music Festival on October 8th and sustained military action by the group, has seen a mass mobilization of the IDF in retaliation.

As casualties and deaths rise in the territory, the U.N has expressed serious concerns regarding the humanitarian state of Gaza. The Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom, however, has insisted that Hamas are responsible for the welfare of the Palestinian people, saying "there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza."

Since the attack, Gaza has been deprived of electricity and basic supplies, with its largest hospital Al-Shifa becoming a makeshift shelter for some 35,000 people. As of the writing of this article, Al Jazeera reports that 2,807 Palestinians and at least 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, following the October 7th attacks.

The Guardian has also reported that Israel has killed 11 Palestinian journalists in airstrikes in Gaza, since it began retaliatory strikes after the Hamas incursion into southern Israel.

From last Thursday, Israel has repeatedly called for Gazans to move South or risk further danger, in leaflets dropped from the air and in social media posts, whilst Hamas has urged people to remain in their homes. Calling for the immediate mass relocation of 1.1 million people, amidst a widespread IDF assault on the territory, Israel originally gave Palestinians 24 hours to leave the strip — an order the U.N condemned as "impossible."

Speaking at an event in Co. Cork, Tanáiste Micheál Martin critiqued Israel's recent evacuation orders. “It simply isn’t feasible that a million people can move out of the city in 24 hours," Martin said.

Micheál Martin in Palestine.
Photo: Micheál Martin Twitter

“That call by Israel should be rescinded and should be pulled back, because I think everybody knows it’s not something that can be achieved at all and I think it puts enormous trauma on the ordinary civilians and Gazans..."

Martin also adamantly denied accusations that Ireland is an “anti-semitic country."

He said: “I don’t believe there’s a majority of commentators who believe that either. I think Ireland has a very, very good reputation globally, in respect of our support for human rights.”

The recent evacuation order would see civilians move southwards from the territory's most populated urban area, Gaza city, allowing for an expected Israeli ground invasion.

The Israeli military has also amassed its forces at the Gaza border, preparing to implement “a wide range of offensive operative plans,” which will include “an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”

Israel’s military has said that the evacuation would allow it to root out and target underground Hamas hideouts around Gaza City. Palestinians and some Egyptian officials fear that Israel ultimately hopes to achieve a mass exile of Gaza's people, pushing residents out through the southern border with Egypt.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) have strongly condemned the recent orders, stating that "the forced evacuation of patients and health workers will further worsen the current humanitarian and public health catastrophe."

"The lives of many critically ill and fragile patients hang in the balance: those in intensive care or who rely on life support; patients undergoing hemodialysis; newborns in incubators; women with complications of pregnancy, and others all face imminent deterioration of their condition or death if they are forced to move and are cut off from life-saving medical attention while being evacuated," read a recent statement by WHO.

Damage in Gaza following Israeli airstrikes, 7th October 2023. Wafa/APA

Likewise, Amnesty International said: "The Israeli army’s order to people in northern Gaza and Gaza city to “evacuate” to the south of the Gaza Strip, cannot be considered an effective warning and may amount to forced displacement of the civilian population, a violation of international humanitarian law."

Hamas have also alleged that Israel are deliberately targeting civilians along evacuation routes.

Amidst calls for Egypt to open its southern border to allow foreign citizens to escape the Israeli bombardment and feared ground offensive, foreign minister Sameh Shoukry has said Israel is yet to take a stance which allows the border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip to open; as hopes of a diplomatic resolution to enable aid to be brought into the enclave appeared to falter this morning.

The Rafah border crossing is Gaza's only remaining connection to the outside world that is not under the direct control of Israel; instead falling under the tight control of Egypt, as part of an agreement with Israel and the EU.

Egypt has said this morning that Israel was not cooperating with delivery of aid into Gaza and evacuations of foreign passport holders via the entry, leaving hundreds of tonnes of supplies stuck. Cairo says the border is not officially closed, but is inoperable due to Israeli air strikes on the Gaza side.