Israel announced another “safe corridor” in Gaza as it urges civilians to move to the south of the territory from the north, where it’s concentrating the bulk of its military activities.
The Israel Defense Forces said it would “refrain from targeting a designated axis” between 8 a.m. and midday local time on Monday “to allow safe evacuation from north Gaza to the area south of Wadi Gaza and Khan Yunis.”
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Israel has made similar daily announcements since Saturday. The military is urging civilians to move for their own safety and last night said that 600,000 people had left northern Gaza. Israel is blaming Hamas for trying to stop civilians evacuating.
According to the United Nations, the IDF initially set a 24-hour deadline for the evacuation when it was first called for on Friday. The UN said that would involve the movement of 1.1 million people, most of them in and around Gaza City, and would be “impossible.” Israel denies it ever gave a deadline of 24 hours.
Israel is widely expected to launch a ground assault on Gaza as it looks to wipe out Hamas following the group’s Oct. 7 attacks, which killed at least 1,300 Israelis. More than 2,650 people have since been killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes.
Also on Monday, the IDF said it would evacuate residents of northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon. Tensions there are rising with Hezbollah and the Israeli military exchanging fire frequently.
Israeli residents living within 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) of the border will be moved to state-funded guest houses. Israel has already evacuated communities and towns near Gaza in the south.
Hamas and Hezbollah are both backed by Iran and designated as terrorist groups by the US.
