Israel poised to begin Gaza ground assault

Israel appears poised to launch a major offensive in the north of Gaza after a deadline for civilians to flee expired.

“The next stage is coming,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops massed near Gaza on Saturday, as the Israeli military announced it is prepared for a “co-ordinated” air, ground and naval offensive in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it is readying to “expand the offensive” by implementing a “wide range of offensive operational plans” which it said includes a “joint and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”

Hundreds of thousands of reservists have been drafted to join the IDF in the past week as the military readies itself for a “significant ground operation”.

On Friday, Israel warned some 1.1 million people living in northern Gaza to evacuate within 24 hours, heightening fears it will launch a major assault in a push to eliminate Hamas militants.

Hamas killed more than 1,300 Israelis and seized around 150 hostages after launching a surprise incursion last week.

Gaza authorities say Israel’s revenge strikes have killed more than 2,200 people, a quarter of them children – while Hamas also claims a number of Israeli hostages have been killed amid the bombardment.

Civilians in the north of Gaza have been left with little option but to attempt a dangerous trek into the south of the small 45km² region to avoid a looming conflict – though Hamas warned them not to leave. The Palestinian Health Ministry has meanwhile accused Israel of attacking convoys of vehicles following the instruction to evacuate, killing 12 people.

The situation in the south of Gaza was little better after nearly a week under an effective Israeli siege that has halted the flow of food, fuel, electricity and water supplies.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on Saturday that safe water supplies in Gaza had nearly run out.

“It has become a matter of life and death. It is a must; fuel needs to be delivered now into Gaza to make water available for two million people,” said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, after Gaza’s water plant and public water networks stopped working.

“We need to truck fuel into Gaza now. Fuel is the only way for people to have safe drinking water. If not, people will start dying of severe dehydration, among them young children, the elderly and women. Water is now the last remaining lifeline. I appeal for the siege on humanitarian assistance to be lifted now,” added Mr Lazzarini.

Reliance on water from wells intensifies the risk of waterborne diseases, UNRWA said. The agency has relocated to the south of Gaza, warning that its shelters in the north were no longer safe.

“This is unprecedented. This war should be no exception – protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure including UN buildings applies to this conflict too,” it added.

The International Rescue Committee also warned: “This population is now under siege with no electricity, fuel, food, or water allowed in, or movement of people either in or out. Hospitals in Gaza are already struggling to cope with the level of injuries and shortages of supplies.

“When fuel reserves expire, doctors and nurses will be powerless to treat the sick and injured. Parents will run out of food and water for their children.

“International humanitarian law demands civilians have access to humanitarian support. Occupying powers have a responsibility to ensure adequate provision of the survival of the civilian population. The siege must be lifted. Hostages must be released. Human lives are not bargaining chips.”

There is no route out of Gaza for civilians, with border crossings into Israel and Egypt both closed. Palestinians and some Egyptian officials fear that Israel ultimately hopes to push Gaza’s people out through the southern border with Egypt.

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday: “The US is working with the governments of Israel, Egypt, Jordan — and with the UN — to surge support to ease the humanitarian consequences of Hamas’s attack, create conditions needed to resume the flow of assistance, and advocate for the upholding of the law of war.”

The US meanwhile advised its citizens to head to near the still-closed Rafah crossing with Egypt, in the hopes that foreigners could be allowed to leave if it re-opens – but it is unlikely Palestinians will be permitted to leave en masse.