Palestinians flee as Israeli forces go back into Jabalia
May 14, 2024
Gaza [Palestine], May 14: Fierce fighting has been reported in Jabalia in northern Gaza after the Israeli military went back into areas where it said Hamas had regrouped.
Residents who fled said they had seen tanks advancing towards Jabalia's refugee camp, which has come under heavy bombardment since Saturday.
Palestinian armed groups also said they were battling troops in the camp.
Meanwhile, the UN has said 360,000 people have fled Rafah, in the south, since an offensive began a week ago.
The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of the eastern third of the city, which is swollen with more than a million Palestinians taking refuge.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel that a full-scale offensive in Rafah might provoke "anarchy" without eliminating Hamas.
His comments echoed briefings to Israeli media by unnamed senior Israeli military figures, who said Hamas's resurgence in northern Gaza was due to a lack of a specific plan from Israel's government for the "day after" the war.
The military scaled down operations in the north in January after declaring that it had "dismantled" Hamas's battalions there. But that left a power vacuum in which the group has been able to rebuild.
An estimated 300,000 people trapped in the devastated region are also experiencing a "full-blown famine" due to a lack of aid deliveries, according to the head of the World Food Programme.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
