‘They are preventing people from leaving’: Hamas not allowing civilians to evacuate from Gaza

Hamas terrorists are preventing civilians from escaping the Gaza Strip on the eve of a ground incursion by Israeli forces, according to multiple sources. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shared a call where a resident of Jabalia, in northern Gaza, can be heard claiming that Hamas members are taking car keys and identification documents to obstruct the evacuation. "They are preventing people from leaving," says the Palestinian caller:

Israel on Friday asked half of Gaza City's 2.3 million residents to evacuate the area, as terrorists are hiding in tunnels and buildings populated by civilians, using them as human shields. Hamas labeled Israel's warnings as "fake propaganda" and began to prevent the evacuation.

"Our war is not with the people of Gaza," said Israeli Colonel Richard Hecht in a video addressed to the civilian population this Sunday. "In stark contrast to Hamas's war crimes we are calling on the residents of Gaza city to evacuate southwards for their own safety. Our warnings are to save Gazan civilians, civilians that Hamas believe are more valuable dead than alive." In the recording, Hecht maintained that the terrorists were "stopping [civilians] phisically" from evacuating. He stressed, however, that the security of Gazans is the responsibility of Hamas.

The IDF accompanied these advisories with recommended routes for residents of the north and Gaza City to move south. One of them is the Salah Al-Din street, where they promised not to carry out any operations between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time.

Reactions on social media

"Our decision is to remain in our land," Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said this weekend, as reported by Reuters. The terrorist organization reaffirmed its intention not to let civilians leave. At the same time as Haniyeh's televised message, social media began to be flooded with satellite images and videos that showed other efforts by Hamas to cut off the flow of people to the south. In some of them, vehicles can be seen blocking the streets:

In other posts, users claimed that Palestinian vehicles are exploding while trying to escape. No projectiles are seen, so it is supposed that these explosions are happening on the ground:

Hamas opposes Egyptian intervention

According to Reuters, Egyptian authorities maintained that Palestinians should remain in the Gaza Strip. This comes despite reports Thursday that Egypt had agreed to open a humanitarian corridor. However, Hamas opposed it, arguing that the proposal would "force the Palestinian people to abandon their homeland" and would not solve the humanitarian crisis.

The plan had been approved by Israel and the United States.