Israel Takes Urgent Steps To Protect Civilians Ordering Millions To Evacuate Ahead of Expanded Israel Offensive
Doing everything it can to limit civilian casualties while rooting out Hamas terrorists, Israel and the IDF have given civilians 24 hours to evacuate northern Gaza.
Israel has warned the 1.1 million people living in the north of Gaza to evacuate the area within 24 hours as a “humanitarian step in order to minimize civilian casualties” ahead of the military’s response to Hamas’ terrorist attacks.
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jonathan Conricus shared the message he said was sent to citizens in Gaza on X, formerly Twitter, Friday morning.
“The IDF calls for the evacuation of all civilians from Gaza City from their homes southwards for their own safety and protection and to move to the area south of the Wadi Gaza, the river Gaza, as shown on the map,” Conricus said. . . .
Conricus said the evacuation order is for safety purposes, adding that civilians will not be able to return to Gaza City until another announcement clearing the area is made.
By issuing this warning, Israel is setting up the appropriate legal mechanism under the rules of international armed conflict to warn civilians to flee an area. The U.N. was also informed that it should remove its personnel from the region.
This development doesn’t necessarily mean that Israel will launch an incursion tomorrow. Israel likely needs more troops for the results to be effective. But it looks like a major incursion into Gaza will take place soon.
This means Israeli soldiers will engage in urban warfare in the streets of Gaza, putting their lives in grave danger. It’s one thing to send airstrikes to hit targets from the air – boots on the ground to fight Hamas terrorists is a whole different matter.
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Danny Ayalon joined us to discuss Israel’s strategy to avoid hurting civilians:
We have to make sure that [Hamas will never] be able to do this again, and to deal with them – just like the international community dealt with ISIS. And this is where we are in the midst of a major campaign in the Gaza Strip. It’s going to be long because Hamas is dug deep underground. They’re using their population as human shields. And what now there is the effort is really to actually separate the civilian population and Hamas. And for that, we are trying to create a humanitarian corridor from Gaza to the vast expanses of the Sinai Desert on the Egyptian side. . . . Hamas now is trying to keep them by force, but this is why it’s going to be a protracted campaign at the end of the day.
Back in America, Congress remains in disarray after Rep. Steve Scalise (LA-1) withdrew his name from consideration for Speaker of the House, believing he wouldn’t have enough support to attain the Speakership of the House with a full vote. Could someone like Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-4) or Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19) be nominated? It even could be someone nobody is talking about.
This chaos in Congress does not help with U.S. foreign policy either. ACLJ Senior Counsel and Director of Policy Harry Hutchison referenced his article on the issue of the U.S.’s low weapons supply because of weapons being sent to Ukraine. How can we also supply Israel with weapons when the U.S. is almost out of stock? Congress will have to address this issue while looking for a new Speaker.
In response to all the turmoil with Israel, the ACLJ has sprung into action, sending numerous letters to world leaders and organizations demanding swift action on behalf of our ally.
Earlier this week, we sent letters to the U.N. Secretary-General, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and the Council of Europe. Yesterday, we sent a letter to INTERPOL, and today we are sending a letter to the U.N. Commission of Inquiry.
We will keep invoking the international community to defend Israel and recognize the light of democracy that Israel represents in the Middle East. We will fight against the false narratives from the media and the international community depicting Israel as the perpetrator of war crimes.
Let the people of Israel know that you have their back too. Sign our new petition showing your support for Israel during this tumultuous time. And keep praying daily for Israel.
Today’s Sekulow broadcast fully analyzed the latest developments in Israel and Congress. The show also featured ACLJ Senior Advisor for National Security and Foreign Policy Ric Grenell, who praised Israel’s efforts to defend itself and root out Hamas.
Watch the full broadcast below: