Gaza City resident to IDF officer: 'We want to move southwards, Hamas won't allow it'

In light of the IDF’s preparations to expand the ground operation in Gaza City and to obtain operational control of Hamas strongholds, the IDF on Wednesday published a conversation between a Gaza District Coordination and Liaison officer in COGAT and a resident of Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip.

The testimony exposes Hamas’ attempts to block the population of Gaza City from moving southward, in order to use the residents as human shields.

In his remarks, the resident told the Gaza District Coordination and Liaison officer: “We want to go south but Hamas are waiting for us on the way. They tell people: go back home, there is no evacuation, go back, go back - and the people are scattering.”

“On my life, people are really afraid. Some of them are going through side streets and looking for alternative ways. Hamas is standing on the seashore near Al-Nablsi and in other places, preventing the population from moving along the main roads.”

A security source responded: "The Hamas terror group is doing everything in order to prevent the population from moving southwards, in order to use the residents as a human shield and for propaganda purposes. In practice, tens of thousands of residents have managed to bypass Hamas' blockades and evacuate Gaza City even before the official announcement about the IDF's operation was made. The defense echelon estimates that the population will continue to evacuate the city, so long as military operations in the area expand."

He added, "Hamas is exploiting the desire of various bodies in the international community to bring about an end to the war, and therefore will continue to spread campaigns of lies so that the world will pressure Israel to stop the civilians from moving southwards."

It is believed that thus far, between 70,000-80,000 people have left Gaza City, most of them in the past 72 hours. The IDF stressed that the humanitarian area in southern Gaza will be expanded to allow around two million people to stay there. "The humanitarian infrastructure is adapted and prepared for the scope of the population, in accordance with international law."