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Israel will start "significant military operations" once civilians have left, IDF says

15 October 2023 01:42 (UTC +04:00)

Israel will start "significant military operations" in Gaza once they see that civilians have left, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson told CNN, APA reports.

"The important thing here to focus on is that we will commence significant military operations only once we see that civilians have left the area," Lt. Colonel Jonathan Conricus said.

"It's really important that people in Gaza know we've been very, very generous with the time. We have given ample warning, more than 25 hours... I cannot stress more than enough to say now is the time for Gazans to leave.

"Take your belongings, go south. Preserve your life, and do not fall into the trap that Hamas is setting up for you."

More than half of Gaza’s 2 million residents live in the northern section that Israel has told to evacuate. Many families, some of whom were already internally displaced, are now crammed into an even smaller portion of the 140-square-mile territory.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been fleeing south through the battered streets of Gaza after the Israeli military told them to leave northern areas of the densely populated strip.

Parts of the south are becoming even more crowded and overstretched, Gazans say, as waves of Palestinians abandon their homes in the wake of Israel’s statement, ahead of an anticipated ground assault by the IDF.

According to Conricus, the area around the Gaza Strip is densely packed with "hundreds of thousands of Israeli reserve units" that are preparing for various missions.

"The challenge and the mission is to have all of those more than 360,000 reservists both in the south and in the north, get them mission ready, equipped, prepared, task-forced, and ready for any assignments they will have in the future," he said.