The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Jerusalem, Israel | Xinhua | Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the southern area of the coastal enclave ahead of a possible Israeli ground offensive.
“The IDF calls for the evacuation of all civilians … for their own safety and protection,” read a statement issued Friday morning.
“You will be able to return to Gaza City only when another announcement permitting it is made,” the statement said.
According to the IDF, Hamas militants are using underground tunnels in the city to hide.
Israel is believed to be preparing for a ground incursion on the Gaza Strip, according to media reports and analysis.
Since this round of attacks between Hamas and Israel began on Saturday, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes against targets in the Gaza Strip. So far more than 1,500 Palestinians and more than 1,300 Israelis have been killed.
Hamas sends warning
Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), on Thursday vowed to “make Israel pay a higher price” if it carries out a ground offensive in Gaza.
In a televised speech, Abu Obaida, spokesperson of Al-Qassam Brigades, said the group would “activate options that will incur heavy loss of lives and properties if Israel dares to carry out a ground offensive in Gaza.”
“We have strong armament that can provide an effective defense that the enemy has never seen before and crush its barbaric army,” he warned.
Obaida added that his brigades captured enough Israelis to swap all Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails.
The spokesperson also called on “the Palestinian youths and all the living forces in the Arab and Islamic nations to mobilize on all fronts to join the ongoing battle against Israel.”
Israel has called up a record 360,000 reservists, setting the stage for a possible ground offensive in retaliation for the deadly attack by Hamas since Saturday. ■
