CAIRO, September 24. /TASS/. More than 900,000 Palestinians remain in Gaza City and refuse to leave, despite the ongoing operation by the Israeli Defense Forces, the press service of the authorities of the Palestinian enclave said on Telegram.
According to their statement, approximately 335,000 residents of the city decided to leave their homes and move to the southern areas of the sector to escape Israeli shelling. However, at least 24,000 of them were forced to return due to the lack of "basic living conditions" in the southern part of the enclave.
The Gaza authorities accused the Israeli government of attempting to forcibly displace Palestinians and condemned the "shameful silence" of the international community, which is unwilling to "assume legal and moral responsibility" for what is happening in the sector.
On September 16, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the start of an intensive offensive operation in Gaza City, aimed at defeating the radical Palestinian movement Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces stated that local residents had been repeatedly warned to evacuate the combat zone, including by dropping leaflets on the city.
The situation in the Middle East sharply worsened after the penetration of armed Hamas supporters from the Gaza Strip into the Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, accompanied by the killing of residents of border settlements and the seizure of more than 250 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the enclave with the aim of destroying the military and political structures of Hamas and freeing all the abductees. According to the latest figures released by the Health Ministry, the total number of victims in Gaza has reached 65, 174 with over 166, 000 injured. Another 440 residents of the embattled enclave, including 147 children, have died from starvation.