Palestinians flee Gaza amid deadly Israeli offensive

AFP | Gaza City

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Huge numbers of Palestinians were fleeing Gaza City by any means yesterday 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 Hamas fighters in the area.

Outrage

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 area 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 64 people yesterday, including 41 in Gaza City.

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.

Genocide

The offensive 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.

Yestersday, the Israeli military said it was opening “a temporary transportation route via Salah al-Din Street”, as AFP images showed fresh bombardments.

The United Nations estimated at the end of August that about one million people were living in Gaza City and its surroundings, 350,000 of whom Israel says have fled.

But many Gazans say nowhere is safe and have vowed to stay in their homes.