The Israeli officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans, said the evacuation order was issued to save as many Palestinian lives as possible ahead of the ground operation. The short window of time for that evacuation was necessary so that Hamas wouldn’t have much time to prepare, they said.
Spokespeople for Israel’s government and military wouldn’t comment on future operations, though none denied that a ground invasion was coming.
The campaign would be one of the most challenging in Israel’s recent history. Gaza, a small strip of land flanked by the Mediterranean Sea, is heavily populated and dense, leading to an urban warfare scenario that will likely see many people killed. When Israel last invaded Gaza in 2014, 2,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians, were killed. More than 70 Israelis, the majority of them soldiers, were also killed in the fighting.
It’s unclear whether most, or even many, of the Gazans ordered to leave their homes will be able to do so ahead of the ground invasion. Humanitarian aid groups say the timeline is too short and the conditions too challenging for such a large movement of people. Hamas is complicating the situation, urging residents to stay in their homes. And with Israel having cut off much of the electricity to the area, it’s difficult for electronic messages with instructions on how to evacuate to reach the intended audience.
The Biden administration is repeating that it wants Israel to abide by the laws of war in its response to Hamas. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking Friday in Israel, stated that “this is a time for resolve and not revenge, for purpose and not panic and for security and not surrender.”
