Israel prepares for Gaza evacuations with tents and aid

The Israeli military announced plans to distribute tents and supplies to Gaza residents before moving them from active combat areas into what it calls safer zones in the south, as reported by Al-Monitor via Reuters on August 16th.

Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed the equipment would enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing under United Nations and international aid agency supervision, after Israeli defence officials completed inspections.

The move comes shortly after Israel declared its intention to launch a fresh offensive aimed at seizing northern Gaza City, the enclave’s biggest urban area. The announcement sparked international concern for the 2.2 million people living in a devastated strip, already scarred by nearly two years of war.

Israel’s COGAT, the military body overseeing aid operations, has not confirmed whether the new relocation effort forms part of this offensive plan. Capturing a city of roughly one million Palestinians could potentially undermine ceasefire negotiations, yet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to press forward with his pledge to destroy Hamas’s last major strongholds.

Netanyahu argues that Israel must get the job done because Hamas refuses to disarm. Hamas has stated it will not give up its weapons until an independent Palestinian state is formed. Israeli forces currently control roughly three-quarters of the territory.

Authorities believe 20 of the 50 captives still in Gaza remain alive. Israel’s subsequent campaign has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s health ministry reports, while forcing the displacement of the entire population. Aid groups warn of famine, and the International Court of Justice is investigating Israel for alleged genocide and war crimes – charges it firmly denies.

Al-Monitor via Reuters, Maghrebi.org