United Nations – AFP
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged Israel to “avoid a humanitarian catastrophe” after the Israeli army called on more than a million Palestinians to leave the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of an immediate ground operation to retaliate against Hamas for Saturday’s deadly attack. Past Southern Israel.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, told reporters: “The Secretary-General and his team are making phone calls. He is in constant contact with the Israeli authorities and urges them to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.
He added: “It is imperative that the Israeli authorities protect all civilians, including those in United Nations shelters in Gaza. He added that there is currently no aid to Gaza as the border crossings are still closed. He added: “We call on all parties and those who influence them to put an end to this tragedy.”
The Israeli army, on the other hand, announced on Friday that its ground and armored forces had launched an attack on the Gaza Strip “in the last twenty-four hours”, before a ground attack on the densely populated Palestinian enclave could be expected.
“Over the past 24 hours, Israeli military forces have conducted local raids within the Gaza Strip to search for “terrorists” and “weapons,” the military statement said, adding that during these operations efforts were also made to collect evidence that would help them “find” the hostages.
Palestinian militants retaliated by firing rockets at Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, the Israeli military called for “all residents of Gaza City to evacuate their homes and move south to protect themselves and to stay south of the Gaza Strip.” A report has been issued allowing this.
On the other hand, the first flight to evacuate Americans left Israel en route to Europe, a White House spokesman said on Friday, without providing details on the destination.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby indicated that other flights would follow “unless there is a request from the Americans.”
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has announced that 15 French nationals have been confirmed killed in an attack by Hamas on Israel last Saturday.
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