CAIRO, October 16. /TASS/. Palestine’s radical Hamas movement estimates that more than 340 people were killed by the Israeli military in the north of the Gaza Strip, the movement said on its official Telegram channel.
"Israel’s military operation in northern Gaza and blockade of these regions has continued for 11 days. Throughout this period, at least 342 people have been killed, mostly women and children," the document says.
Hamas added that, according to its information, the death toll is not final, because "dozens of bodies are still buried under the rubble, with rescuers being unable to reach them."
On October 14, member of Hamas’ political bureau Osama Hamdan said Israel had started the implementation of the so-called Generals' Plan, which calls for the relocation of people from northern Gaza to the enclave’s south, earlier this month. The aim of the plan is to "relocate some people from the northern part of Gaza to the southern part." According to Hamdan, Israel wants to use "maximum firepower in the Gaza Strip to paint a picture of the army's achievements."
Earlier that day, Associated Press reported that a group of retired Israeli generals had put forward a plan to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas militants. The plan gives Palestinians a week to leave the northern third of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, before declaring it a closed military zone. Those who remain would be considered combatants, and, therefore military regulations would allow troops to kill them. They will also be denied access to food, water, medicine and fuel.
According to AP, the "plan calls for Israel to maintain control over the north for an indefinite period to attempt to create a new administration without Hamas."