Occupied Al-Quds: Israeli troops prepared on Sunday for a ground assault on the region as the country has vowed to annihilate the Hamas fighters in retaliation for a rampage in which its fighters stormed through Israeli towns eight days ago.
Prior to carrying out a ground assault, Israel ordered over one million Palestinians in the northern region of Gaza to evacuate and relocate to the south.
As a result, humanitarian organisations expressed deep concerns over the impending crisis that may ensue.
Alarm has grown over the fate of Palestinian civilians in blockaded and besieged Gaza – one of the world´s most densely populated areas, home to 2.4 million — if it becomes the scene of intense urban combat and house-to-house fighting.
Aid agencies have said forcing Gazans to move is impossible while the war rages.
But with food, water, fuel and medical supplies running low because of an Israeli blockade, aid agencies are warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis.
The World Health Organisation said that forcing thousands of hospital patients to evacuate to already overflowing hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip could be “tantamount to a death sentence”.
Exiled Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel of committing “war crimes” in Gaza but he ruled out any “displacement” of Gazans, including to Egypt.
On the diplomatic front, Chinese envoy Zhai Jun will visit the Middle East next week to push for a ceasefire and promote peace talks, state broadcaster CCTV reported Sunday.
Saudi Arabia has also pressed for an “immediate ceasefire”. Russia said it had asked the UN Security Council to vote on Monday on its ceasefire resolution.
International aid agencies, including the UN and Red Cross, plus several foreign diplomats are concerned about the feasibility of the evacuation plan.
“We fear an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” said Ivan Karakashian, of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
More than 423,000 Palestinians have already left their homes, and 5,540 homes have been destroyed, according to the United Nations.
