Israel establishes temporary corridor from Gaza City during offensive
Amid an intense offensive, Israel has established a temporary humanitarian corridor to evacuate residents of Gaza City.
The new escape route will be operational for a period of 48 hours, allowing residents to leave before military operations continue.
- Creation of the humanitarian corridor
- Response from Prime Minister Netanyahu
- Humanitarian situation in Gaza
- International reactions
Creation of the humanitarian corridor
More than three days after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced their intention to occupy Gaza City, now in a state of devastation, where more than a million Palestinians live, IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee ordered the army to create a temporary humanitarian corridor. This step seeks to facilitate the evacuation of the inhabitants of Gaza City and its surroundings in the face of the new stage of the military offensive.
In his statements, Adraee specified that the corridor will be available for two days. ‘The route will be available along Salah al-Din Street, one of the main arteries of the Strip, from noon today until noon on Friday, that is, for 48 hours,’ he said.
Response from Prime Minister Netanyahu
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that the offensive will not stop until more than 3,000 Hamas members in Gaza City are neutralised. He assured that the IDF is collaborating to facilitate the evacuation of the Palestinian population, with the aim of minimising collateral damage, i.e. the loss of civilian lives. Meanwhile, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in recent Israeli attacks on a children's hospital in Gaza City.
Netanyahu also mentioned that the war in Gaza highlights the need to develop an independent arms industry capable of withstanding possible international sanctions.
Humanitarian situation in Gaza
Since the start of hostilities, the Israeli army has reported that more than 350,000 people have been displaced. However, the figures vary depending on the source. The Palestinian Civil Defence reports that around 150,000 people have left the city and around 75,000 Palestinians have been left homeless due to the bombings. However, estimates suggest that more than 700,000 people remain in and around the city.
The Palestinian Authority and organisations such as UNICEF describe the situation as ‘an unprecedented humanitarian crisis’. Testimonies from Palestinian residents indicate that the difficulties in evacuating are enormous, as they have to rent vehicles at high prices due to high demand. In addition, the situation is exacerbated by more than 10,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition in Gaza City alone.
International reactions
The United Nations has denounced Israel for what it considers genocide. With more than 64,000 dead, including 30,000 women and children, 163,000 wounded and more than 26,000 children suffering from malnutrition, the limited entry of humanitarian and medical aid, together with forced displacement, have led UN Secretary-General António Guterres to declare that the situation in Gaza is ‘morally, politically and legally unacceptable’.
Several countries have called on Israel to pause its offensive, although so far the only measures taken have been the cancellation of military contracts, as announced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, worth more than €820 million, pending approval by the Council of Ministers. In Europe, the European Commission spokesperson indicated that he will meet with European Union representatives to agree on sanctions against Israel, including the suspension of contracts of all kinds.
In response to the UN report, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Daniel Meron, described the report as based on false information provided by Hamas with anti-Semitic overtones, and said it was scandalous that the term genocide was being used indiscriminately.
In this context, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he maintains his support for Israeli incursions and warned that Hamas will face serious consequences if it continues to use the hostages taken on 7 October as human shields.
