Hamas has been accused by a Gazan resident and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of blocking Palestinian civilians from leaving the northern Gaza Strip ahead of announced plans for an Israeli offensive targeting Hamas infrastructure and operatives in the Palestinian Hamas-ruled territory.
It’s been reported that around 1. 2 million Palestinians are on the move to escape the Gaza Strip, using whatever means at their disposal. The region has a total area of roughly 141 square miles. For context, Montana is roughly 145,000 square miles.
In the 35-second recording, the resident tells the Israeli officer that Hamas has confiscated people’s personal belongings, including their car keys and IDs, to prevent them from heading south for safety.
Hamas Urging Civilians Not to Leave
IDF reserve Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus alleged in a situational update on Sunday that Hamas is warning the civilians in Gaza not to evacuate.When many failed to comply and tried to escape the growing conflict, Mr. Conricus said the terrorist organization was adopting other methods to prevent the civilians from reaching southern Gaza.
“During this window, please take the opportunity to move southward from northern Gaza. Your safety and that of your families matters,” the post said.
“Please follow our instructions and head southward. Be assured, Hamas leaders have already ensured their safety and that of their families.”
The next day, Mr. Conricus said as Israel monitored the situation that, “Hamas is actively preventing civilians from leaving the south.”
He called it the “most sinister and vile use of civilians during war” he'd ever seen.
“It again goes to show the lack of any value for human life within the terrorist organization Hamas,” Mr. Conricus said of the satellite images of the blocked escape routes.
In the same update, Mr. Conricus revealed that rockets were fired at Tel Aviv and southern Israel during the night as well.
IDF Warns Against Trusting Information Coming out of Gaza
Mr. Conricus also cautioned against listening to information coming out of the Gaza Strip, stating that because the region is controlled only by Hamas, with no other oversight, he thinks it can’t be relied upon to be trustworthy.Footage has emerged of civilian convoys attempting to flee Palestine being attacked by unknown forces.
Pro-Hamas sources claim the footage is proof that Israel is attacking Palestinians indiscriminately. Mr. Conricus has denied that Israel has such intentions to hurt Palestinians and said Israel isn’t responsible for the attacks.
He specifically pointed to a video allegedly showing Palestinian civilian vehicles being destroyed while in transit. He claimed that Israel was not active where the footage was taken.
“I’m no forensic expert; I wouldn’t be able to say if this is a roadside IED or a strike from above,” Mr. Conricus said.
“What I am able to say, with confidence, because we have asked, is that the IDF did not purposely strike in that area. There was no targeting of vehicles; there was no targeting of civilians.”
“We want the civilians to go south; it makes no sense for the IDF to have done it,” he added.
Founded in 1987 by the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas is an Islamist political and paramilitary group, and one of the two major factions in Palestinian politics, the other being Fatah, which remains in charge of the West Bank and forms the main bulk of the Palestinian territories. Hamas fought a civil war with Fatah in June 2007 that saw them secure control of the Gaza Strip.
Following the Oct. 7 assault on Israel by Hamas terrorists, more than 1,200 Israelis have been reported to be killed, over 3,000 wounded, and at least 120 civilians kidnapped into Hamas territories in Gaza as hostages.
According to the IDF, the broad goal is to dismantle Hamas and ensure it will never be a threat to Israel ever again.
