By Ken Afor
Over the span of three days, the number of Palestinian civilians leaving the battle area in northern Gaza had noticeably increased due to the heightening of Israel’s air and ground attacks.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, around 15,000 people left on Tuesday, exceeding both the 5,000 people who left on Monday and the 2,000 from the day before.
Focusing on the densely populated, northern area of Gaza – comprising Gaza City and its surrounding packed urban refugee camps – Israel’s offensive against Hamas, the militant power that has controlled the region for 16 years, has entered its second month since the Hamas assault on southern Israel on October 7.
More than 10,500 Palestinians were reported dead by the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, of whom over 4,300 were identified as children, due to the war.
Meanwhile, as the Israel-Hamas war enter enters its second month, Washington is in talks with Israeli and Arab leaders to plan a future for Gaza Strip that does not involve Hamas ruling it.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has outlined Washington’s expectations for the embattled coastal territory, although no plan has been proposed yet.
“No reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends. No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza. No reduction in the territory of Gaza,” Blinken said on Wednesday at a press conference in Tokyo.
Blinken said there may be a need for “some transition period” at the end of the conflict, but post-crisis governance “must include Palestinian-led governance and Gaza unified with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel announced to ABC News on Monday that they will take on security responsibility for the enclave for an indefinite amount of time following the conflict.
Since Israel withdrew its forces from Gaza in 2005, officials have tried to clarify they do not intend to occupy Gaza after the war. However, they have yet to state how they can guarantee security without having a military presence.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) believes that Gaza, currently under the rule of Hamas since 2007, is an essential part of their envisioned Palestinian state.
According to the New York Times, Khalil al-Hayya, a leader of Hamas, declared that their offensive against Israel is intended to open a new chapter in their struggle against Israel and disrupt the existing situation.
“We succeeded in putting the Palestinian issue back on the table, and now no one in the region is experiencing calm,” he said, according to the newspaper on Wednesday.
Saleh al-Arouri, a Hamas commander in exile, asserted to Al-Aqsa TV, which is linked to Hamas, on Wednesday that fighters from the organization are determined to cause Israeli forces damage during combat in Gaza.
“The more (Israel) spreads and expands on the ground, the deeper its losses will become”, he said.
In a video released Wednesday, although yet to be verified, Hamas militants were depicted running through piles of rubble and firing shoulder-launched missiles toward Israeli tanks. Additional clips showed them shooting guns from positions behind buildings and garbage containers.
