A billboard in Times Square displays the message ‘Israel is committing genocide’ as part of the campaign by Game Over Israel calling for a boycott of Israel by national soccer federations over the war in Gaza, in New York City. Photo: REUTERS
GAZA CITY:
Huge numbers of Palestinians were fleeing Gaza City by any means on Wednesday as the Israeli military pressed its ground offensive, killing dozens in strikes.
AFP images showed a steady stream of Gazans heading south on foot, by car and on donkey carts, with their few belongings piled high as Israel bombarded the city.
Israel had announced the day before that the US-backed campaign in the Gaza Strip’s largest city had begun, pledging to destroy the militant group Hamas in the area.
The offensive has sparked outrage among the international community, with the Palestinian territory already devastated by nearly two years of war and the Gaza City region gripped by a UN-declared famine.
Gaza’s civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said Israeli fire had killed at least 62 people across the territory on Wednesday.
Media restrictions in the territory and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the details provided by the civil defence or the Israeli military.
The Israeli military said it was opening a temporary new route Wednesday to allow people to flee, after unleashing a massive bombardment before dawn on Tuesday and pushing its troops deeper into Gaza City.
It came as a United Nations probe accused Israel of committing genocide in the Palestinian territory, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials had incited the crime.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it was opening “a temporary transportation route via Salah al-Din Street”, as AFP images showed fresh bombardments.
Its Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, said the corridor would remain open for just 48 hours from midday (0900 GMT).
‘Death is cheaper’
The United Nations estimated at the end of August that about one million people were living in Gaza City and its surroundings.
The Israeli military said Wednesday that more than 350,000 had so far fled south.
But many Gazans say nowhere is safe and have vowed to stay in their homes.
“I won’t leave Gaza. There’s shelling here and there,” said Umm Ahmed Yunes, who is living in her partially destroyed home.
“Where would I find $1,000 or $2,000 for transport costs? Where would I buy a tent? There are no tents and prices are insane,” said the 44-year-old.