The IDF announced Friday it is ending daily pauses in fighting inside Gaza City ahead of what it called the launch of a new phase of the war, codenamed Operation Gideon’s Chariots II, aimed at capturing the Gaza Strip's most populated urban center.
In a statement, the IDF said the city "constitutes a dangerous combat zone." "The IDF will continue to support humanitarian efforts alongside ongoing maneuvering and offensive operations against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip in order to protect the state of Israel."
New food distribution centers being constructed in southern Gaza
(Video: IDF)
For the past month, the military had observed daily humanitarian pauses lasting several hours, including in Gaza City, to allow civilians access to aid. The first such pause began last month with a 10-hour window, a day after Israel carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.
The IDF said it now plans a mass evacuation of civilians from Gaza City to the southern part of the territory. The evacuation notice is expected next week, after which Israel will begin its operation to take control of the city.
On Thursday, the IDF announced that two new food distribution centers, set up with support from the U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, would soon open in southern Gaza. Military officials said the facilities are part of preparations to absorb civilians relocated from Gaza City.
Hamas has urged residents to stay put, launching a campaign against evacuations and calling on people to remain in place as part of its longstanding tactic to use civilians as human shields. The terrorist group declared, “From here we depart only to paradise.”
In contrast, IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee appealed directly to Gaza City residents in a statement Wednesday, dismissing rumors that the south is already overcrowded. “Before transitioning to the next phase in the war, I wish to confirm that there are vast empty areas in the southern Strip, just as is the case in the central camps and in Al-Mawasi. These areas are free of tents,” he said.
“Evacuating Gaza City is inevitable,” Adraee added. “Every family that moves south will receive the maximum humanitarian assistance, which is now being prepared. The IDF has begun bringing in tents and preparing areas for humanitarian distribution centers.”