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Red Cross warns against evacuation of Gaza City as Israel tightens siege
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued a stark warning on Saturday regarding Israel’s plan to evacuate Gaza City, stressing that such an operation is “impossible” under the current humanitarian conditions.
Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the ICRC, declared that the mass evacuation of nearly one million residents “cannot be carried out safely and with dignity” given the ongoing siege and relentless military operations. She added that the plan was “unrealistic and incomprehensible” if Israel intends to respect international humanitarian law.
Thousands of Palestinians have already fled Gaza City, but with nearly two years of war devastating the enclave, humanitarian agencies warn that no area in Gaza could absorb the displaced population.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have intensified bombardments around Gaza City, declaring the entire urban area a “combat zone.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed that the military offensive would continue until Hamas is dismantled and all remaining hostages are freed.
Residents report constant shelling, suffocating smoke, and a lack of safe passage. “We are trapped in our homes,” said Abu Mohammad Kishko from the Zeitoun neighborhood. Aid organizations, including UNRWA, cautioned that any assault on Gaza City could result in a “total disaster.”
The conflict, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, has left more than 63,000 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities. On the Israeli side, 1,219 people were killed, also mostly civilians.
