IDF creates evacuation corridors for Gaza residents to flee south

The IDF on Saturday morning announced the creation of an evacuation corridor and reiterated the call for residents of northern Gaza to move toward the southern end of the Gaza Strip.

According to a notice published in Arabic by IDF Arabic Spokesman Lt.-Col. Avichay Adraee: the “IDF will allow movement on the indicated streets without any harm between the hours of 10:00-16:00. For your safety, take advantage of the short time to move south - from Beit Hanoun to Khan Yunis.”

The IDF attached a map indicating that residents should use al-Bahr Street and Salah ad-Din Street in order to safely evacuate south from where they are located, which is only several miles in distance, as the entire Gaza Strip is approximately 25 miles from top to bottom.

#عاجل بيان مهم لسكان مدينة غزة ناشدناكم في الأيام الاخيرة مغادرة مدينة غزة إلى جنوب وادي غزة بهدف الحفاظ على سلامتكم. أود إبلاغكم بأن جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي سيسمح بالتحرّك على الشوارع المُشار إليها دون أي اذًى بين الساعات 10:00- 16:00. من أجل سلامتكم، استغلوا الوقت القريب من… pic.twitter.com/zNSq1hnLQY

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 14, 2023

“If you care about yourself and your loved ones, go south as instructed. Rest assured that Hamas leaders have taken care of themselves and are taking cover from strikes in the region,” Adraee added.

A few hours later, Adraee stated, “We see embarrassment within the Hamas leadership because they will not be able to take shelter with civilian human shields in Gaza, as residents evacuate their homes in the south of Gaza City because their leadership is hiding under civilian buildings in Gaza.”

On Friday, the IDF sent a warning to the more than 1 million residents of Gaza City and other communities in the northern Gaza Strip to flee south within 24 hours to the area south of Wadi Gaza and also notified the United Nations.

The order is seen as a likely preparation for an increase in the intensity of airstrikes and a following ground campaign by the IDF.

The U.S. and Egypt meanwhile reached a deal to allow the reportedly hundreds of American citizens in the Gaza Strip to leave through Egypt, according to the Wall Street Journal. Americans can leave Gaza until 5 p.m. local time according to the joint agreement between the U.S., Egypt and Israel.

Palestinian reports indicated that, while hundreds of thousands of civilians heeded the IDF’s call and were moving toward the south, Hamas attempted to stop the evacuation.

Hamas set up checkpoints on several streets to hinder the movement of Gazans trying to move south, Israeli media reported.

The head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) criticized Israel for the evacuation order, warning that it could bring “catastrophic humanitarian consequences.”

The Al-Awda Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip was specifically notified by the IDF to evacuate by 6 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) rights group, but the staff refused the IDF’s call and hasn’t left the premises.

Hamas is known to place headquarters and weapon caches under hospitals to prevent Israel from striking them.

Another factor impeding the evacuation is the resolute refusal by Egypt to take in any Gazan refugees.

Images circulating on social media show that after closing the Rafah border crossing, Egypt on Saturday reinforced the crossing with concrete walls. Egypt also transferred additional army units to the Gaza border.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel over the evacuation order, calling it “a grave violation of the rules of international humanitarian law.”