Gaza city ‘a dangerous zone’

THE Israeli military declared Gaza City “a dangerous combat zone” yesterday, as it prepared to conquer the Palestinian territory’s largest city after almost two years of devastating war.

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Israel is under mounting pressure at home and abroad to end its offensive in Gaza, where the vast majority of the population has been displaced at least once and the UN has declared a famine.

The Israeli military, however, is gearing up to expand the fighting and seize Gaza City, saying in recent days that its troops were operating on the outskirts “to locate and dismantle terror infrastructure sites”.

“Starting today (Friday), the local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” the military said, referring to daily pauses in certain areas aimed at facilitating aid distribution.

The military did not call for the population to evacuate immediately, but the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on Wednesday that the city’s evacuation was “inevitable”.

The UN estimates that nearly a million people live in Gaza governorate, which includes Gaza City and its surroundings in the north of the territory.

AFP footage from Gaza City on Thursday showed displaced Palestinians fleeing southward, their vehicles piled high with mattresses, chairs and bags.