Palestinians have been moving out of Shejaiya a district in Eastern Gaza against the backdrop of intense Israeli Bombardment and an alleged ground forces intrusion. One Gaza City resident said it had “sounded as if the war is restarting”. The Hamas-run authorities have claimed that the air strikes had claimed seven lives. The Israeli military has asked the residents to evacuate the city and head southwards.
The Israeli military had initiated a campaign in response to the sudden attack carried out by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7. The intrusion claimed the lives of 1200 individuals and 51 others were taken as hostages. The Hamas-run health ministry has claimed that 37,760 people have lost their lives in Gaza since then.
Shejaiya residents and Palestinian media affiliated with Hamas reported a series of Israeli air strikes, artillery shelling, and helicopter activity on Thursday morning. One person told the AFP news agency that the situation in Shejaiya was “very difficult and frightening”.
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The Israeli Defence Forces have not put out a statement about Shejaiya yet. However, it has conducted similar operations in northern Gaza in recent months, citing intelligence that Hamas fighters have regrouped in that area.
“For your safety, you must evacuate immediately south on Salah al-Din Street to the humanitarian zone,” Lt Col Avichay Adraee mentioned the north-south road, which was used by hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing Gaza City in the early weeks of the conflict when Israel initially targeted Hamas.
An accompanying map displayed an arrow pointing south, though it was uncertain if Shejaiya residents were being directed to move towards the “al-Mawasi humanitarian area” located along the southern and central Gaza coast. This route would involve crossing the east-west Israeli military zone south of Gaza City, which effectively divides the territory.
The al-Mawasi humanitarian area was expanded seven weeks ago following the commencement of Israeli ground operations in the southern city of Rafah, which they described as ‘precise.’ Israeli authorities view Rafah as Hamas’s last stronghold. According to the UN, over a million people have fled Rafah since then.
