Hamas misleads Gaza residents about safe zones, Israel says

Updated army estimates indicate that around 150,000 of the city’s roughly one million inhabitants have so far evacuated.

By Ehud Amiton, TPS

Hamas has been misleading Palestinians in Gaza City about the availability of safe zones in the south, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said, urging residents to evacuate and not fall for what it called a “false campaign.”

“In recent days, the Hamas terrorist organization has been running a false campaign aimed at preventing you, the residents of Gaza, from moving from the northern Gaza Strip to the south for your safety and protection,” COGAT chief Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian wrote on his Arabic-language Facebook page.

“To disperse the cloud of lies, it is important to set the record straight. Contrary to Hamas’s claims, there are available spaces in the humanitarian area for setting up tents. Do not fall for Hamas’s lies, as it wants to use you as a human shield for its murderous goals.”

Alian added, “Hamas endangers you and harms your families. You must know the truth and follow the evacuation instructions. These are life-saving instructions.” COGAT has also released graphics showing locations in the designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza where tents can be set up for those displaced.

COGAT is a unit in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that coordinates civilian issues in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.

The Israeli military has intensified its warnings for civilians in Gaza City to evacuate. Leaflets and phone calls have reached residents, urging them to leave.

Updated army estimates indicate that around 150,000 of the city’s roughly one million inhabitants have so far evacuated.

The IDF said on Wednesday it would “increase the pace of strikes” in Gaza City, aiming to “target Hamas’ terror infrastructure, disrupt its operational readiness, and reduce the threat to our forces as part of preparations for the next stages” of the offensive.

Humanitarian aid continues to flow into the Strip. Nearly 170 trucks carrying food, medicine, and other essential supplies entered Gaza on Tuesday through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, COGAT said.

Around 310 additional truckloads were collected by the United Nations and other international organizations from the Gaza side of the crossings for distribution.

“The contents of hundreds of trucks are still awaiting collection on the Gazan side of the crossings,” it noted.

Tankers of UN fuel also entered to support essential humanitarian operations, while over 250 sick Palestinians—mostly children—and their caregivers were evacuated via Kerem Shalom to the Allenby Bridge crossing into Jordan for treatment abroad.

Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 48 remaining hostages, about 20 are believed to be alive.